Sanguine Insanity Crescendo
by nekokuro13
Summary: Touhou Shukyougoku 東方朱狂極 . Meriko Fuumi, 14, was psycho and bipolar; yet acts sweet, nice, charismatic and friendly at the same time. Yukari knew she didn't belong in the outside world. But can she handle Gensokyo? Meanwhile, turns out that some other sinister developments are starting in the background even as she entered the world of illusions. Warning: Dark themes
1. Prologue

**Touhou Shukyougoku (****朱狂極****): Sanguine Insanity Crescendo**

_Hi again! Now that after finishing my first story, I'm on to the next one! I'm now off to explore darker themes, and the very, very thrilling art of inserting OCs…_

_What to expect in this installment? A much more intricate storyline, a longer journey, another whodunit chase, plot twists again, conflicts, both internal and external, quite a complicated OC and a darker side of Touhou. Don't worry, it's all planned out already, so you don't have to worry about this story ending halfway or not completed. There is an intricate master plan. I'm really betting a lot on this story, especially on my OCs._

_Ah, and something about said OC. She's partially based on me, or me exaggerated, but I also added other elements to make her a much more chaotic addition to the story, so, not really me then. Can Gensokyo handle her? Ahaha, talk about being overdramatic._

_I'm afraid that, given this story's deeper and heavier nature, I may not post as regularly as I did with my last one. _

_**Let me warn you: This story has dark themes, and violence, okay?**_

___Oh yeah, Touhou and its characters belongs to ZUN and Shanghai Alice. This story, _Touhou Shokyougoku (朱狂極): Sanguine Insanity Crescendo and characters labelled as OCs belong to Nekokuro13. Background musics, meanwhile, are copyrights belonging to their respective owners.

_____As usual, I would love to hear feedbacks from my dear and respected readers, to help motivate me to go on. It's going to be a long, long, twisted journey._

* * *

_"Despite the face that they hold out in public, many people actually have a feeling deep inside that they do not belong. They don't belong here. They don't belong there. Try as hard as they can, they don't feel like belonging anywhere. So where actually do they belong? Will they ever belong? Heh." - The Black Princess_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

Turning the corner, the young girl of fourteen swung a heavy blow with the lead pipe she was holding, her face contorted into putting all strength into the blow. She would not admit that she was being scared. If she missed, the consequence would've been dire. This was a snatch thief she was chasing after.

But her eyes widened, as she saw the gleam of steel in the man's hand, reflecting the morose street light illuminating the secluded alley.

_Knife!_ her subconscious screamed in horror.

Blood sprayed out like a fountain as her swing collided with nothingness. But her hands, they felt something warm drenching them. Her eyes looked down to see the lead pipe and the pale hands holding it smeared in a red redder than wine, warm and much more sticky.

"KYAAAAH!" she retreated in sheer horror, but her feet, stepping on a piece of newspaper, slipped. She instinctively spun midair, using her hands to break the fall, her subconscious saying, _cats always land on their feet. Whether they survive or end up unhurt, meanwhile, is a completely different matter. _The lead pipe clattered behind her.

It was a moment of dumbstruck surprise, the girl staring at her palms in wordless terror.

_Blood…! Blood! _But then the terror turned into twisted humour. _Ahahaha! Blood! Blood! Ahaha! _Her mind burst out laughing. _I survived a snatch theft! Take that you damned fellow! I survived, I survived! I watched him die! I watched the blood spurting out of his cleanly sliced neck during his last moments! I was just about to be stabbed! I nearly died instead! Ahahaha! That's for taking my purse! You deserved it!_ She broke into an awkward fit of confused laughter.

_But… but who? Who is it here other than me?_

The sudden realization sent chills along the back of her neck. She turned silent, sitting there, paralysed in apprehension. The fear returned. The pool of blood spread, becoming larger and larger, like a broken wine bottle, the beating heart pumping out whatever blood that still remained in the arteries. The snatch thief she chased was now a murder victim. Her purse and the knife had fallen the moment the thief's hands realised that they were dead.

The girl stood up slowly, her knees shaking. She had to lean her thin frame against the wall for support, her dark brown eyes, nearly black, all wide open from the shock. In the dim light, it was an eerie atmosphere. People wouldn't lose their heads just like that. Who… or what could have possibly ended the thief's life in that impossible manner?

It was a chilling notion to find someone headless in a matter of seconds, even the more chilling when it was with no idea where the head had gone. Her nape prickled from the sight of exposed red human meat on the sliced section.

She remembered a video a friend of hers had shown her before, saying _"Meriko, you see, if someone is beheaded, the blood will shoot out like a fountain a metre tall. That's why experts say that this video here, is fake. But this other video here, notice how far the blood bursts out…?"_

The sensation this time was worse than the time when she saw that video. This time it was firsthand. A woozy feeling started to fill her head, and she tried to steady herself as to not faint. The sickening smell of blood made her want to puke. Luckily her stomach was empty. She was just about to put her hand over her mouth to block the smell and to prevent herself throwing out, but then she noticed that the hand was covered in blood. The blood of a recently murdered person. The sick feeling intensified, so much that the edges of her vision started to blur.

_Ehehen, that's why I told everyone I don't want to be a doctor. _

A hole opened midair, like a malicious gaping mouth, the maw opening to reveal an abyss filled with yellow eyes. By this time, Meriko was sure she was seeing things.

A lady emerged from the gap, one hand carrying a parasol, and another holding a folded paper fan. Unlike the teenage girl, she was a fully grown one, with long blonde hair and a womanly figure, carrying the air of an imposing noble. Her eyes were a purple that was even discernible in the dim light, as if it was glowing, as was her dress, which ended in frilly laces. She looked like a doll, with her apparel and all the red ribbons tied liberally over her accessories, and yet at the same time, she looked very, very menacing.

"My, my, my, here I am thinking I've found yet another foolish human for my meal, and yet, I guess I'll pass. One is enough to make me full for a month. Don't worry, he didn't feel any pain. A clean slice with one of my sharper gaps, it's like putting a chicken underneath a guillotine. And you're not sorry to see him go, eh?" the lady twittered, sitting on the grinning midair gap as if it was a wall.

Then the lady's eyes widened as a grin split her face. Her hand unfolded the paper fan and covered her mouth. "But... oh my, oh my... what luck, what destiny! You're as strange as I am. You are somewhere in the border between light and darkness, chaos and order, good and evil... everything! You're too rare a specimen to just be made a snack, you know. Too bad you're stuck here in the human world, where nobody appreciates that you're special. So… want to come with me?"

The girl stood stock still, with realization, crazy realization suddenly gripping her. Her eyes were now a mixture of confusion, sane composure and an insane greed. Her whole body trembled from the two forces trying to have dominance over her being. Her fair complexion was now even paler. Her head was bowed, making her long raven hair frame the side of her face as she bit her nail, deep thoughts crossing her mind. Her other hand unconsciously fumbled with the fabric of her long skirt, her mind now toppling at the edge of reason. Something about the lady's presence was like calling out to her deepest wishes.

"I... I am always alone. No one is like me. I belong with the humans... yet at the same time... I'm alone. I never belong with the humans. They understand me... yet they don't understand. I understand myself the most... yet I'm confused about who I am actually the most," the girl muttered, half-smiling. Her whole body was shaking from the mixture of emotions rushing through her. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead. "Am… am I dreaming? What do you mean… that I'll come with you?" she asked, her voice of reason all strangled by a cluster of disturbed thoughts. "Where?"

"What's your name, young one?" the lady asked. She was intrigued. That girl in front of her, she referred to others as 'humans' even when she was one herself.

"Eh? Me... Meriko... Meriko Fuumi," the girl muttered, her fingers fumbling on the ends of her long flowing black hair. "People I hate only refer to me as 'Ano Meri' (that Meri). It fits. Among mankind... I'm an anomaly. Anomaly, the name I called myself. I know I don't fit in this world. My friends called me Meri, or sometimes, Emily, because I often said 'Eh?' So... Eh-Meri becomes Emily. They're... they're better off not knowing the real me. The real me. The real me hidden in the shadows. No, they only see my smiling face, my laughing face. I... I pity them. No, I envy them. Ignorance is bliss."

"Meriko Fuumi," Yukari opened her paper fan. "I'm Yukari Yakumo, a youkai. I am one of the very few with the power to open the barrier into my world. So, it is as you say? Interesting. Gensokyo might just be a place you will belong. I know you believe in magic."

"Eh? I do... I believe that I am special..." Meriko answered, surprising herself. She was not sure why she spoke in such a manner. She simply knew that the lady in front of her might just be the escape from reality she had yearned for, for years.

"Fuumi-san!" a boy came into view, chasing after her, panting with every breath. He was a lanky one, looking to be about Meriko's age, but with a boyish face and straw-coloured hair.

"Eh, Nick?" Meriko's eyes widened, the boy's coming jerking her out of her dreamy state.

"Who's that?" Yukari asked.

"Nick," Meriko answered, sounding beyond annoyed. "He's no one important."

"It's that lady! The serial killer! The murderer!" Nick whispered, coming to a halt just behind Meriko.

"My..." Yukari grinned. "And I thought I missed my chance to have a tender dessert... Young boys are less tender than girls, but would do."

"Leave him out of this!" Meriko protested suddenly, standing between Yukari and Nick, spreading her arms.

"Yes, I eat humans, boy," Yukari said with a sinister grin.

"Meriko, run away from here!"

"Eh? Nick..." Meriko's tone changed. She gave the sweetest smile she could muster, quickly hiding her bloody hands behind her back. She hoped that Nick didn't see them when she spread her arms just now. "Don't worry... she's a nice lady. She's a friend of my mothers, Yakumo-san is. It's been years since I'd seen her." It was a believable act, but Nick, having known Meriko for quite some time, could easily sense that the smile and sweet tone was fake. And as if Nick would ever believe that Meriko's mother had any acquaintances that can sit midair.

"You're... you're lying!"

"Eh? No... of course not, why would I lie?" Meriko faked surprise, still speaking with the sweet voice. "Why would I lie to you, my good, good friend? Eh... you're just overreacting. Are you seeing things? Go home, okay? You look like you need some rest. I noticed that you've been pale since at school this morning." She even made a kindly and concerned expression. Plus the tone of her voice, it would've made even a dog stop barking.

"She's a murderer! I knew it, Meriko! I've seen her before!" _Wait, is that… blood on her cheek? _But then the boy saw the body. "WAAAAAAAAH!" he screamed with utter fear. "RUN AWAY!" he grabbed the girl's hand and was about to pull her away into a run, that being just the sensible thing to do...

SLAP.

The girl gave Nick a full-faced slap that sent him spinning. "YOU RUN AWAY! DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'RE SAVING ME WHEN YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING! YOU KNOW NOTHING! LEAVE ME WITH MY PROBLEMS!" she shouted with ferocity. "YOU RUN AWAY, NIIICK!"

The sudden yelling knocked all the breath out of Nick. The boy fell backwards, a look of utter shock on his face. Meriko had never shouted at him that way before. But then he saw the eyes; Meriko's eyes. It was like something he had never seen before, as if it was not the Meriko he knew. The dark brown eyes, which were usually alight with friendliness, cheerfulness and cheeky mischief now screamed of greed, confusion and fear; all at the same time. Touching where the girl had hit him, his eyes widened in terror to realize that it was stained with blood.

_Red… handed?_

"On the contrary, Meriko... this boy has seen too much..." Yukari giggled. "I know just what to do with you... BOY!" She was hiding the lower half of her face with her fan, but Meriko knew, just knew, that the youkai was licking her lips.

* * *

_There. Told you it was a little bit dark. Next chapter? The long awaited OP! What song could it be? What revelation could it show? What phantasmagoria will it bring?_

_Meriko and Yukari compel you to review. They did their best. Give them some motivation. They need it. Or Yukari will eat both Nick and Meriko out of frustration… hehe. Yukari: "The heck? I'm not Yuyuko!"_


	2. Opening Credits

_Now, on to the OP! Finding the lyrics to this really good song was really hard, I spent some time deciphering the kanji into romaji by listening to it myself and with the help of an online dictionary. Luckily the translated lyric was there, though._

_Again, imagine the OP scenes, people, use your imagination! Ehehen. But if you don't want, you can skip this chapter, but you'll never know what you missed._

_Three, four!_

* * *

**Chapter 2: Opening Credits**

_Song: Vocal Arrange "Crescendo," based on Wonderful Heaven, Tenshi's theme BGM. Only the first 1 minute and 30 seconds from the full length song of 4 minutes. Search for the video in Youtube if you can, you may not know what you're missing._

_Circle: Riverside_

_Vocals: Matsumoto Sara_

_Arranger：_yoc._

_Lyric：_yoc._

(Opening guitar music)

Meriko held out her palm. A long and thin scythe of dark energy coalesced and she turned into a battle stance. Yuuka turned into a battle stance holding out her umbrella. Tenshi twirled her sword while floating keystones rose to the air around her. A harassed-looking Nick tried to calm things down.

(Music intensifies)

A three-way battle. Yuuka let out a huge blast of energy, Meriko blocked it with difficulty using her scythe, nearly overpowered, while with a motion of her sword, Tenshi sent down a barrage of keystones raining on both of them. Both leapt to the air, and Nick appeared, floating, trying to calm things down, again.

Scene changed to title screen: Touhou Shukyougoku (東方朱狂極): Sanguine Insanity Crescendo

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始まりを告げる 木々のざわめき

Hajimari o tsukeru kigi no zawameki

Amidst the telltale rustling of the trees

(Under the shade of trees in a forest, under pale moonlight, Suwako and Kanako shot cross looks at a Meriko crossing her arms while throwing a disrespectful belittling gaze at the two.)

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朧げに光る 上限の月

Oboroge ni hikaru jougen no tsuki

Under the faint light of a waxing moon

(Watatsuki no Toyohime seemed to focus her energies into a paper fan, and with one deadly strike, vaporized a few miles into fine white dust)

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暗闇彩る 一輪の花

Kurayami irodoru ichirin no hana

A single flower colors the darkness

(Under the gloomy light of the Moon, Yuuka slung her umbrella over her shoulder, a content look over her face. It became apparent she was actually standing on a pile of maimed bodies, with flowers starting to grow between them.)

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雲の隙間から 覗く星屑

Kumo no sukima kara nozoku hoshikuzu

As stardust peeks through the clouds

(Remilia, Flandre, Sakuya and Patchouli all looking surprised as a gap appeared in the library with a black demonic shape emerging, when suddenly a white flash followed and the Scarlet Devil Mansion is blown apart by the explosion)

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清らかに 高らかに

Kiyoraka ni takaraka ni

Clearly, loudly

(Sanae back to back with Keine, in lively danmaku firing surrounded by zombie-like villagers holding pitchforks and all manners of weapons)

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飛び立とう 翼広げ

Tobi tattou tsubasa hiroge

I'll spread my wings and fly

(Mokou spreading her fiery phoenix wings, in aerial combat with an immaterial shadowy enemy, and shifted midair, avoiding a stabbing blast of darkness)

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乾いた空を見上げる

Kawaita sora wo miageru

When I look up at the arid sky

(Reimu, Yukari, Nick and Meriko looked up to see Shikieiki floating midair against the yellow sky beside a strange woman standing regally midair in a majestic kimono that would befit a royalty)

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柔らかな君の横顔

Yawarakana kimi no yokogao

Your gently profile

(Alice rushed at a surprised-looking Marisa, hugging the magician and crying on her shoulder)

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静かな時を奏でる

Shizukana toki wo kanaderu

Plays softly in my silence

(Youmu and Yuyuko back to back holding off an assault of ghosts)

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頬を撫でる風のように

Hoho o naderu kaze no you ni

Like a wind brushing against my cheek

(Tenshi sending out a shockwave attack with her sword, but Meriko blocked it with her scythe, as a girl with twintails hid behind her.)

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永遠の時を越え

Eien no toki wo koe

I'll overcome eternity and reach

(A sinister Kaguya in black kimono surrounded by dark energies rose to the air, silhouetted against the full moon, wearing a crooked smile and an insane glow in her eyes, as wings of shadow unfolded behind her back.)

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輝く未来へ

Kagayaku mirai e

Toward a shining future

(Sanae, Meriko, Reimu, Marisa, Youmu, Sakuya rushed at Kaguya, all drawing out their respective weapons)

* * *

_That's the OP for this anime, people! Can anyone guess more or less how is this story going to be?_

_Nah, don't worry, I didn't give that much away, actually. More unexpected secrets actually remained unseen. I don't know, really? But as I said, there are plot twists in this story. And the OP only adds questions, like, who's that kimonoed lady with Shikieiki?_

_Well, don't know if it's asking too much, but just curious for opinion, which scene do you think is: 1) the most awesome? 2) the most interesting/intriguing? 3) the most ominous? 4) your favourite? 5) whatever you want to add to this list if you want? Tell me in the reviews. It helps, believe me._

_I hope you found the music I used for this episode. If you did, you'll find that it's actually 4 minutes long, and an OP only requires something like 1 minute and a half. Listen it to the end if you want. If you reached here without listening to the music, you don't know what you missed, ehehen._


	3. Zero Point Two Percent

_Now, on to the story!_

_Note: In the Japanese education system, middle school 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade would be equal to American 8th and 9th Grade. That's 13-14, and 14-15 years old._

* * *

_"Humans have so many faces. Heh." - The Black Princess_

* * *

**Chapter 3: Just 0.2 Percent**

_Kekkai Middle School_

_The afternoon before the spiriting away_

Meriko sat at her table, munching morosely on the tuna sandwich in her hand. She was not really in a good mood. Just last night, something threw her into an inner fit of sorrow. It made her question even more whether she really was who she thought she was.

She stared at her sandwich. Usually her sister would prepare something much more than that, but somehow last night her sister was not in the mood of making lunchboxes. And Meriko, she was not one to cook if she could help it.

"_Ehehen, Sawako, let's say that if your cooking is 90% skill and 10% luck, my cooking would be 90% luck and 10% skill!"_ she used to tell her sister.

"_Right, like the time when you sent our whole family to the hospital with your pudding." _

"_Ehehen, sorry for not noticing that the condensed milk was expired." _

"_Expired for a year!"_

So sandwiches it was. But then, she realized that she shouldn't be putting on a troubled face, or people would think that she had problems, so she smiled, taking in the afternoon view from the class window.

Outside, a bunch of students were playing on the school lawn. She wondered why they would even bother getting out in the summer afternoon. Sighing, she pulled the curtain so that sunlight would not sting her skin with its heat. Then she went back to her seat, taking yet another bite from her sandwich. She opened the milk carton and sipped the contents using a straw.

"E…Meri?" a voice whispered, spitting hot air in her ears, while a pair of hands wrapped themselves around her body.

"Eh? Kya!" she blurted, luckily more like a shocked gasp than a scream. Meriko quickly stood up, and the hands let go. "Uuu… that's mean, Tetsuya!" she scolded, repressing her voice. _Lucky I guessed, or there goes my hand in her face._

"Ahahaha…" the teasing girl laughed. "Flat. Got you off guard again, eh?"

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled, smiling at her friend's teasing. "Cut it out with the… all those… flat or not flat talk."

"Well, I wonder, you said you don't care, yet you drink milk every day," Tetsuya commented mischievously, sitting on a table beside her friend, crossing her legs.

"Ehehen, didn't I say cut it out already? Why do people make such a big deal of that kind of indecent thing anyway?" Meriko asked, a drop of sweat appearing on her head. "What's wrong with drinking milk?"

Meriko was annoyed, but she knew too well what her friend's idea of teasing was. Tetsuya Akazawa was one with oft a crude sense of humor. She had a tomboyish nature, maybe something to do with the fact that her parents named her Tetsuya, which was usually a boy's name. And a particular method of teasing was making fun of Meriko's figure. This was a subject that Meriko would rather steer away from if she could help it.

If Tetsuya had the figure of a fully grown woman, not to mention that she was nearly six foot tall, Meriko was… someone that Tetsuya would crudely say, flat. If Tetsuya was one with… an adult-like figure, Meriko was thin and lanky, much like a child. But at least, she made up for that with her height. Even if she had a lean frame, she was of a medium height, which was over average considering her age.

_It's not like I will bother about something as perverted as that! There is more to a girl than just her body! _her mind would cry out.

It was not differences in figures alone. Meriko was a paler character, a person who would not risk the sun if she could help it, while Tetsuya was slightly tanned, as she was more on the athletic side. Even their hairstyles differed. Meriko had long, flowing dark hair, much like a traditional Japanese beauty, while Tetsuya's was brown, short and slightly spiky. She would change her hairstyle every month, while Meriko, she was not one to care too much about styling and all that. In fact most of the time she wouldn't even wear makeup, unlike most girls her age. As long as she looked sharp and decent enough, to her that was okay.

Their school uniforms were of a black sailor variety, with a long-sleeved black blouse matched by a long pleated skirt. The blouse had a sailor-styled collar with a dark blue ribbon looped around it. If Meriko was one to make sure her skirt was slightly longer than average, Tetsuya was one to make sure hers was shorter. Even then Meriko made sure that her socks revealed as little as possible of her thin legs.

They differed in many things, but somehow, Tetsuya seemed to have taken a liking to Meriko since their first year in middle school. Maybe because Meriko easily accepted her presence, while most people were uneasy with Tetsuya's straight forward and often crude nature. Meriko knew that she also felt the same as they did, but either she was more accepting than others, or she hid those feelings well. In fact, two years since then, she still disagreed a lot with that friend of hers, but usually she would keep those disagreements to herself.

"Why is it so important? Boys, of course!" Tetsuya answered cheekily, bringing back Meriko into reality.

"You already have Yahiko-san," Meriko reminded. Yahiko was Tetsuya's boyfriend.

Tetsuya giggled. "Aw, as long as he is my boyfriend, he is just that. It's not a binding contract yet!" but seeing the looks on Meriko's face, she added, "Just kidding. Meh, I was talking about you, do you know how many boys are speaking about you behind your back?"

"I doubt it's anything good," Meriko answered cynically.

"Flat!"

"Eh? I said cut that out already!"

Tetsuya burst into laughter. "Just kidding, just kidding, ya know. Just yanking at yer chain," Tetsuya quipped in Kansai dialect.

"I'm not a dog," Meriko deadpanned.

"Meh, don't worry, you always have admirers, believe me."

"Not interested," Meriko continued sipping on the carton of milk.

"I know you find letters in your locker once in a while..."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"...and that pile of chocolates you received on Valentine's Day!"

"Those were friendly chocolates. And it was not even a pile."

"And you were so cruel not to give any, to anyone!"

"I forgot it was Valentine!"

"Gasp! That means you'll end up single your entire lifetime!"

"Not listening."

"Flat."

"Gah!" Meriko threw the carton of milk she just finished. She was not aiming it at Tetsuya, but at the dustbin. The carton bounced off the edges.

"Oh no! Sensei, sensei! Perfect goody-two-shoes Meriko just littered!"

Meriko wordlessly went to the dustbin and picked up the empty carton, and put it in. "There, happy?"

"_You_ happy. Like I'm one to care about something like that." Tetsuya answered aloofly. But then her expression changed into one of excitement. "Hey, Meri, guess what? Yesterday, Yahiko, my sis and I went to Akihabara."

_Here we go again, _Meriko thought while maintaining the smile on her face. Tetsuya could really talk when it came to her boyfriend. And Meriko would usually be her good listener, despite the fact that she did not actually enjoy listening to all Tetsuya's rants. But then, once in a while, Tetsuya would ask her for advice, like one time when there was a misunderstanding between her and her boyfriend, and Meriko would gladly give what advice she could.

Meriko's foot twitched. Ever since this morning she had been feeling jittery. She blamed it on the energy drink she drunk on the way to school. _Gah, 96 milligrams of caffeine! _That time, she was feeling lethargic from sleeping late last night, so she took a detour to a convenience store. Now she was reminded again to the fact that she was weak to caffeine. Right now she may look perfectly normal, but inside, she actually felt like taking a bamboo sword and smashing something.

She had this urge to smash or hit something once in a while, especially when she was feeling depressed or angry. That might explain why she joined the kendo club.

"Hiya, Meri!" another girl entered the classroom. Tetsuya quickly stopped her ranting. "What's with you, eating alone all of a sudden?"

Meriko chuckled, "Eh? Ahaha… Nothing, just a change of mood. I need alone times once in a while, you know me, Jun," she answered with a grin.

"Can I have one of these?" the girl asked, taking a sandwich from Meriko's lunchbox.

"Sure," Meriko grinned. Like her, Junko Tamaki was a member of the school's student council. Junko had slightly wavy black hair that reached to her shoulders, and a moderate figure, with an eager and friendly expression. From her tall frame and the way she talked, she had the air of an older sister.

Usually Junko got more into the spotlight, being the student council's vice president. Meriko, she was just the class representative, but somehow being the representative for the elite senior class 3-A had its merits. People looked up to her, and turned out she was quite popular in the school. And the fact that she was modest on also being a prefect and a top student just added into her image. But then, she was not happy with responsibilities.

"E-meri," Junko said, "tomorrow we'll be having a meeting with all the class representatives. We're going to discuss about the coming school festival."

"Already?" Meriko asked.

"Yep, exam's over, the school break's just two weeks away, so of course we'll be holding the school festival. Tomorrow, 3 o'clock. In the student council room."

Meriko only gave her a wide-eyed look. "Okay," she said. To be honest, she was actually not really into all those if she could help it. She disliked responsibility, yet people often pushed her to the front, making her something like a victim, as to refuse will only bring pointed glares and whispers.

Last year, she was pushed into participating in the Debating Competition. She refused, and the atmosphere turned cold in an instant, from the way her other classmates watched and treated her. The next day she gave in, and joined the debating team for their class, and won second place, with them being the only team from Second Grade in the top five winning teams. The other four teams were seniors from Third Grade.

But then, she was not really that happy about it. There was something dissatisfying about defending a point of view using whatever arguments no matter how you actually disbelieved in it. One couldn't really choose sides in a debating competition. And the fact that no matter how much you actually felt that your opponents were right, you had to shatter their arguments no matter what.

"You nervous?" Junko asked. Seeing Meriko didn't answer, Junko consoled, "Nah, don't worry. I know it might be a little bit heavy on you, but we'll try to get you some help whenever we can," she added with a wink. Junko was among the more understanding ones amongst her peers. She was one to sympathize and not burden others.

"Eh? N-no, it's… um," Meriko was at loss for words. To say that she did not feel burdened by the responsibility would be a lie. "I'll manage. But Jun, you already have a lot of workload in your hands, right?"

"Ha, I'll manage," the girl said dismissively. "You're busy too, what with your novel and all that. How's it going?"

"Eh? Um…" Meriko blushed. She was working on creative writing. It was not something that she divulged to just anyone, yet Junko found out about it anyway. "I don't know… progress was kinda slow."

"Well, good luck then, can't wait to read it," Junko said with a smile, her heart-shaped face as cheerful as always. "When will it be published?"

"Uh, not sure if it's the kind of thing you'll read. It's still far from being complete, and, I don't have a publisher yet."

"Hello, I'm still here! Sorry for not being a class representative, or a student council member!" Tetsuya chided.

Junko laughed.

But then another girl entered the classroom. The brunette was shorter than the three, had twintails, and a childlike face, the childishness all the more amplified by her hairstyle. "Meri! The result for the exams came out! It's there on the notice board in the hallway!"

"Eh? Really?" Meriko asked, her face blank.

"Ahaha, you'll be the one to worry the least!" Tetsuya teased. "You said it yourself, eight years streak of being at the top! Come on, what is it this time, all 100?"

Meriko frowned. Telling Tetsuya that was something she regretted because within minutes, Tetsuya basically told everyone she met about it.

"What did Meri-chan get, Shika?' Junko asked eagerly.

"I didn't look," Shika the twintailed girl answered.

"Well, you're probably in the top ten, Shika-chan, so don't worry," Junko told the girl. Despite her looks, Shika was in the same class as them. "Let's find out!"

"Don't mention mine, okay? I'll see for myself," Tetsuya told them. "Geez, 3-A class, to get all excited with the marks." From the four, she was the only one being put in the B-class because of her marks in examination.

"Ehehen, we're all nervous here," Meriko consoled, smiling anxiously.

"Yeah, right," Tetsuya replied sarcastically.

"Eh? Come on, it's just… ah, never mind. Here, does anyone want my last sandw-," but before her question was finished, Tetsuya already took said sandwich.

The four went into the hallway, to the notice board where students were crowded around it. On Meriko's approach, heads turned towards her, all looking at her with quizzical looks or eyes that were supposed to be sympathizing. They only made Meriko feel more anxious.

_Is something wrong?_

She looked up on the notice board…

Rank: 1. エヴァンス、ニコラス ザヴィアァ (Evans, Nicholas Xavier) – Average marks percentage: 94.7%

Rank: 2. 二海 目利子 (Fuumi Meriko) – Average marks percentage: 94.5%

Eyes widening, Meriko felt the world crashing around her, and a weight falling into her stomach. Tetsuya's words echoed in her mind. _You said it yourself, eight years streak of being the top! …eight years streak of being the top! …eight years streak of being the top! …the top! Eight years! …the top!_

"Ehehen, it happens sometimes," Meriko pointed out, giving out her widest smile. "Well, better luck next time, right?"

"How, how can this happen?" Junko asked incredulously.

"Wow," Tetsuya whistled. "That Nick really is hiding something up his sleeve."

Nearby, a group of boys were crowding around Nicholas, roughly patting him on the head and putting their arms around his shoulder.

"Aw, geez, you never told us you're a genius!"

"Why you sneaky brat, you'd been studying all this time, were you!"

"And you never told us you're a scorer!"

"Hey guys! Tonight dinner's on Nick! All hail the new class genius!"

"Boy power!"

"Ah, hi, Meriko, sorry for…" Nick greeted, noticing her. "I mean, congrats… Uh… You did your best. I really didn't expect… I was just studying and trying my hardest."

"Ehehen…" Meriko smiled. "Ahahahahahaha…" she burst into laughter. "Of course you did, meat bun! Congrats! Who knew? Well, this is really unexpected, ahaha…"

Nick frowned a bit at the mention of "meat bun," grimacing. The group of boys then marched Nick away from the hallway against his will.

"That Nick, he looked pale, I think he's bothered about something," Shika mentioned. Then she whispered in Meriko's ears, "Do you want to curse him?"

"Eh? Of course not, ehehen," Meriko answered with a dismissive smile. "I wonder, Shika… to me, examination marks are not really that much. It's just people's expectations exaggerating them."

"And… you only say that after this happens," Tetsuya replied nonchalantly, putting her arms behind her head. "Don't worry, it's just 0.2 percent."

"Well, I'm 7th place… not so bad…" Shika thought, putting the tip of her finger into her mouth.

"Don't worry, we'll treat you to something on the way home, okay?" Junko put an arm round Meriko's neck.

"Eh? Ehehen, no, no, really, you don't have to… I'm fine, really…" Meriko dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"Aw, come on! Don't be like that! Just some celebration, I'll call in some other friends!"

"Eh? No, no, just go without me, I have… um, family matters at home!" Meriko explained, the exaggerated smile never leaving her face. "Well, bell's about to ring in a few minutes, see you in class!" she walked away.

The three watched her leave with puzzled expressions. "Isn't our class that way?" Junko asked.

"Toilet," Tetsuya answered, "probably."

As soon as she was out of sight of the three, she quickened her pace, until she saw an unused classroom. She went inside, locked the door, and…

"Ahahahahaha… ahahaha… ahaha… ahahahahhaha…" she burst out laughing by herself. _So this is… this is how losing feels like! Losing the title of eight years! All in a sudden! _"Ahahahahaha! Ahaha! Aha! Ahaha! Kyahahahahaha!" _Nick, you sneaky brat! You should at least tell me you want to be my opponent! You should at least tell me you wanted to snatch my crown! Me, Fuumi Meriko, unbeaten for eight years and you chose it to go this way? At last, someone to give me a fair fight! _"Ahahahaha!" _Oh, how I would love to smash you down, you upstart brat! I will not forgive you easily for this! This will be a game! You're my opponent! I will humiliate you back!_

* * *

_Start of school term_

"Hello class, nice to meet you," the lanky straw-haired boy stuttered. "Uh, I mean, hello everyone, right? Class can't talk," he added a lame joke. "My, my name is Nicholas Xavier Evans. Nice to meet you! And, uh, you can call me Nick."

Whispers spread across the classroom.

"Nick Evans?"

"He's a westerner."

"Yep, not Japanese. Look at his eyes," someone whispered. Nick's eyes were gray.

"His Japanese sounds perfect, though."

"Aah, Niku-Ban, is it?" Meriko greeted cheerfully. The class exploded into laughter. It was a cruel pun. Nick Evans, when pronounced in Japanese, is Nikku Ebansu. And Niku-Ban, in Japanese, is meat bun.

"Fuumi-san," the teacher reproached gently. Nick gave a nervous chuckle.

"Ehehen, just kidding," Meriko giggled. "Fuumi Meriko, 3-A Class Representative, nice to meet you," she greeted with a bow, "Niku," _meat, _she added under her breath.

"After this, Meriko, round trip, right? A round trip showing me round this school, right, Sensei?" Nick asked politely.

This time, unluckily for Meriko, the teacher caught Nick's pun. "Of course! Meriko-round trip please!" he said, twirling his finger. The class burst into laughter.

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled nervously, taken aback. Meriko-round. Merry-go-round. That really caught her off guard. _Spinning flying horses ridden on by five-year-olds! At least relate my name with something less disgraceful! _Just imagining that… object… made her stomach sink in humiliation. She hoped that this pun won't spread far. In school, calling other people names was a rampant trend.

It did. The story of the new Westerner boy getting back at the class representative became common knowledge even among the First Graders. But at least, Nick got it worst, as some people even went so far as to whisper Niku-Pansuto, meaning meat panties.

* * *

_Curse it! I should've guessed since that time!_

All along the term, Nick never showed anything much that might indicate his proficiency in academics. _Which made me lower my guard! I was so foolish!_

But then, she thought, other people would probably start to look at her differently. She would no longer remain as the teachers' favorite. Her image of invincibility was shattered. Now she was no longer the one dominating the pinnacle. _To humiliate me at my own game… is unforgivable. Ahaaa! I'll make you my scratching post, my chew toy, my dart board, my prey, my curse target, I'll haunt your life, I'll be your nemesis, you'll be the target of all my malicious will…_

Her grin widened, she bit her nails, her whole body trembling.

_So Fate! You really want to test me! First last night, now you give me another disappointment of my life! _

_It's not so bad!_

_So THIS is how it feels to lose! _

_Ahaha! Not bad! It hurts! It hurts! So this is how it feels, it hurts! It hurts sooo much, ahaha! But it's not bad at all! You want me to fight, do you! I laugh at failure! I laugh at everything! I will twist you with my willpower! I, Fuumi Meriko, I'll prove that I am the Witch who plays with Fate! I will twist you in my hands!_

"This is… this is interesting!" she spoke to the air. "AHAHA!"

THUMP.

She gave the wall a sudden karate chop, as if beheading someone with her hand, sending a vibrating thump on the plastered cement. It was so much that her hand hurt. "This is… interesting," she repeated in a whisper, massaging her hand, her eyes wide, her head bowed, the pain from her hand giving her a fierce satisfaction.

The bell rang.

In a second, Meriko returned to the sweet smiling face she had shown her friends a few minutes ago. She opened the door…

only to find Shika standing there with concern in her eyes.

"Eh?" she blurted in surprise. "Ehehen…" she chuckled in relief, realizing that it was only Shika. "So… how did you know I'm here?"

Shika added a smile to her look of concern. "So, does it feel better?"

Meriko was silent for a few moments.

"You heard?"

Shika's face split to a grin. "Hey…" Putting both her hands on Meriko's shoulders, with mere inches separating their faces, her glazed eyes looked straight into Meriko's. "I'm a bipolar psychopath too… remember?"

* * *

_Not sure if this chapter turned out interesting. It's just a normal day at school, for an abnormal girl. Actually I wanted to bring a short trip on understanding a bit about Meriko-chan before going to Gensokyo. What do you think?_

_Next chapter: Shika Sonoyuki!_


	4. Master and Servant

_Here goes… I'm really worried about expectations, because people often throw in high expectations, yet beginnings, beginnings are often awkward. And SIC may just fall on the awkward beginning category, which made me worry. Very awkward. Like Meriko, expectations make me feel… uncomfortable. Ehehen._

_Warning: Romance ahead! What? Romance, really? Kinda. Mushy alert! Don't say I didn't warn you. But, of course, with an overdose of madness._

_Please bear with this long chapter, then tell me what you think, please? _

* * *

_"The heartless girl laughs at other people's pain,_

_For pain comes from the heart,_

_Then one day she laughs at her own pain,_

_For heartless isn't really a lack of heart." – The Black Princess._

* * *

**Chapter 4: Master and Servant**

_The night before the night of being spirited away_

"Eh, well if it isn't Akazaki-san! Ehehen," Meriko chuckled upon hearing the voice at the other end of the phone.

"Ah, Meriko, what's the deal of calling me suddenly tonight?" the boy's voice answered, sounding slightly happy. "And what's with calling me Akazaki-san all of the sudden? Just call me Shouta, we're friends, right?" the boy's voice insisted. One did not call close friends with their family names, because it denied the familiar feel. Too formal.

"Ehe, but I've always been calling you Akazaki-san for some time already," Meriko pointed out. "It's just that it has been quite some time since I've heard news about you."

"Huh? There's always the internet, you can always message me, e-mail me, or chat on my profile in Face-,"

"Um, Shouta," Meriko cut in, continuing in her sweetened voice. She tried to sound hesitant. "Well… I don't know what to say, but I have something I'm really, really wondering about in my mind. Is it okay if I ask?"

"Sure."

"Well, just wondering, how are things on your side? How are things going with Kiriko?" she asked.

"Well, we're going along well, my parents are getting used to her, and her parents are getting used to me. It kinda went well, everything. Maybe it's because she's the eager type to get things going," the boy answered. "She can really push when she wants to."

"Ah… that's really good."

"Well," this time Shouta is the one sounding hesitant, "thanks. Thank you very much. Your advices, when I asked for them, were really… a big help."

"Yep, no one understands a girl better than a girl, ehehen. If you need my wisdom, I'll gladly help as a friend. I'll gladly give my all when it comes to advices that you need. But…"

"Uh, thank you very much," Shouta answered, sounding relieved. "Oh yeah, what is it?"

"I was really, really afraid that my question will bother you," Meriko stated.

"What is it? No, no, I mean, ask away, I won't be bothered."

"You won't?"

"No, why should I? You're a friend."

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled. "Okkkkay then."

She turned silent a few moments.

Then she began, again with deliberate hesitance. "Did you… um, ever… tell my sister, Sawako, that… um, I mean, even if you were joking, or… did you ever tell her that you might have… I mean… that you might have feelings for me? Ever? Even if it was years ago?"

"Eh?"

"Well," Meriko continued. "Sawako's been mentioning you in her teasing, it made me wonder if somehow you ever told her that, because… um, she once said to me, that… once, you told her something that you made her promise to keep a secret. She said that time will tell. And I noticed that she did tease me a lot, from time to time, mentioning you and me, like we're destined to be together, ehehen, all that nonsense, you know, all that nonsense."

"Should I be honest?"

"Eh? What do you mean?" Meriko asked, feigning ignorance. "Oh, or you'll like to keep it a secret? It's okay if you want it to remain that way." She heard a deep sigh on the other side of the phone.

"Well… um… that was a long time ago, before I met Kiriko. I, I'm sorry. Before I moved to Kyoto early this year. Sawako, she must've taken a liking to me, maybe, from us being neighbors and classmates since primary school, and all."

"So, you told her that you… have feelings for me?"

"No! I just told her that… Meriko is a nice person. Really, really nice, not to mention smart. Lucky whoever that will end up with her."

Meriko blushed. She was glad it was just a phone call, and not a face-to-face talk or a video call. Or she'll probably make an embarrassing blunder. "No! Of course not! Ehehen, who will ever end up with me I wonder? Poor him. I'm selfish, I'm mischievous, I like to poke fun at others, I can't cook, I have attitude problems, I'm lazy, I'm disorganized, I'm immature, I'm self-centered, I'm an airhead, sometimes I'm dishonest… ehehen. I could go on. I don't think anyone deserves me. Or rather, I don't think I deserve them."

"That's a weird way of putting it. No one's perfect. You're way better than nearly everyone I know," Shouta answered, sounding like he was frowning. "But… I'm, I'm really sorry, Meriko, I… I did really have feelings for you. I still do. That's why from all people, I confided my dilemma of Kiriko's advances to you, to see if you will somehow confide whether you actually… think, I mean, feel the same. But seeing that you, you're too eager to help, I, I put those thoughts aside, I thought you really didn't have any… of those feelings for me. We're just good friends after all. I was expecting too much."

This declaration made Meriko turn pale. "R-really? Ehehen, Shouta, was… was it really like that, I wonder?"

"I… I thought you would notice, feelings like that, but… either you're not interested, or you're just the kind not to notice. Usually girls are more perceptive about this than boys, so I guessed, it was you not interested. Even Sawako could see it at that time."

"No…" Meriko bowed her face, her voice lowered. "It's… it's not like that. I thought… I could've waited… some… years… like this is… too early." Despite the turmoil within, her voice sounded uncannily composed. "I was… I am… not yet prepared, for any… kinds of, this kind of emotional relationship."

"I'm sorry. I'm… I'm sorry for telling you this… I'm sorry… I really am."

"Why, ehehen," Meriko chuckled again, "It's all my fault, I know I deserve this. Don't worry, I'm not the kind to get depressed over this. Fate will arrange something else for me. I told you I can tweak Fate. Besides, poor Kiriko, right? If you are suddenly to leave her for me, or if I try to take you away from her, I mean. That's why I called you Akazaki-san, all this time, so that I didn't sound too familiar to you, so that your loyalty to her would not waver. You're a good man, Shouta, you are. I know you're not one to break a girl's heart."

Shouta was silent. Then he said, "But you calling me Akazaki all of the sudden, made me suspect you're sulking."

"No, no, it's not like that, really, I'll manage. I'm still your good friend, ehehen, you're still my good friend."

"Yeah," Shouta sounded thoughtful. "A friendship of years… and maybe even feelings kept secret for years… I guess, this is what people call, destiny. To be or not to be. Even if everyone else thought how much it was meant to be, yet…"

"Yep, gossips were wild once upon a time," Meriko agreed. "Don't worry about me. You can sleep soundly tonight. Really, I may have feelings for you, but I kept it more like a… just a fancy, or a crush. I'm not losing much. I won't cave in from something like this."

"Be strong. You're a strong girl."

"Eh? YOU be strong. You have Kiriko to care about. Me? Ehehen, I'll manage of course. Remember how some people used to say I was a robot, I have no emotions, the way I appeared happy all the time, as if without any care for the world?"

This time, Shouta chuckled.

"What is past is past. You go on with your life," Meriko continued. "Do all you need to forget me if it still troubles you. I'm not going to stand between you and Kiriko-chan."

"Th-thank you. Meriko, you're… thank you."

"Ehehen, don't cry."

"What? No I'm not! You really… you still tease at times like this!"

"Ehehen, sorry. Bye!" and she ended the call.

Meriko, sitting on her bed, gave out the widest grin she could manage. _Why does it hurt? I always believed I didn't have a heart? Why does it? It hurts! Why does… does it? Why? Ehehen… Why does it hurt inside here? I thought the only heart I could possibly have is a mechanical one. Cold. Cracked. Tick-tock-tick-tock. Hard, frozen. Cracked. Tick-tock-tick-tock._

_I am Fuumi Meriko… and I prided myself for being a heartless queen of darkness._

_So Fate has let me lose a big chance of a lifetime, because I chose not to see the chance, or I chose to wait…_

_And I lost. Lost something I thought was meant to me, years to come… Ehehen._

She put a hand over her mouth, shaking with an overflow of emotions. She went to her bedroom door, and made sure that no one was in the hallway. But then, she remembered that her parents and siblings went out to eat at a restaurant. She told them she wanted to stay at home, tired from all the exertions of school life. Then she locked the door and switched off the light.

The streetlights outside gave her just enough illumination to see the chessboard she had set beside her bed. Chess pieces were positioned on its magnetic surface, both sides locked in a battle only she understood. But she focused her attention to one black pawn being stopped by another white pawn on the fifth rank, halting the black one's progress. That pawn, was one she had left at that position for two months already, since that first time Shouta contacted her and asked for help with Kiriko.

_Ah… this one piece I had been preparing for years… first blocked, now gone. Gone. It'll never be my queen. I know Shouta is the type to stick to a love for years, if not for a lifetime._

Then she burst to laughter, "Pfff… ahahaha…" then she flicked the black pawn off the board with her finger. It rolled on the floor. She picked it up and held it close to her heart. "And you'd started to grow sooo much on me… That I thought you're the one… Ehe… so foolish of me… Well, your choice. You chose her above me, and I thought, little Shouta, that I was going to drag you down into my dark world… A world you can never… hope… to reach by yourself," her voice lowered to a whisper.

"AHAHAHAHAAAHHAAHA! This is a TRAGEDY! It's so beautiful! It hurts, my god, it hurts! This is what people enjoy so much in one of those revolting third-rate love stories! AHAHAHAHAAHAHAA! It hurts! It feels so good! I deserve this pain! I was too stupid to have hopes in him in the first place! You deserve this, Meri! AAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! You deserve this because of your moment of weakness!"

Then, holding the pawn close to her mouth, twirling like a dancer, she chanted, along the tunes of a haunting melody, the words coming spontaneously from her twisted mind. She may not look like it, but one thing putting her way beyond her classmates was that her English was nearly flawless. The song was in English.

(Author's note: The tune should be something very closely resembling a repetitive version of the chorus of Who Killed U. N. Owen?)

"_Shouta, Shouta, you're so silly,_

_Meriko's now throwing you off the board!_

_Shouta, Shouta, you're so silly,_

_Begone lest I break your spinal cord!_

_AHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAAHA!_

_Shouta, Shouta, you're so silly,_

_You made me forget that I don't have a heart,_

_Shouta, Shouta, you're so silly,_

_I'll let your image in my heart to rot!_

_EHEHEHE! Why am I singing this silly song? Oh, Meri, just shut up and enjoy this madness! It's not often you can sing insanely, right?_

_Shouta, Shouta, you're so creepy,_

_In the first place you don't really belong in my heart,_

_Shouta, Shouta, you're so creepy,_

_I'll tear you out of my deepest guts!_

_EHEHE! I'll curse you! Ahahaha! You never know what I can do!_

_Shouta, Shouta, I'm so silly,_

_I know this isn't really really your fault,_

_Shouta, Shouta, I'm so silly,_

_I'm Meriko, I'll judge you in my court!"_

Meriko took the bamboo sword she used for kendo class from her cupboard, the look of madness never leaving her face.

"_Shouta, Shouta, I'm so creepy,_

_Is there justice in the hollow that was my heart?_

_Shouta, Shouta, I'm so creepy,_

_My justice is stained with blood!_

_Ehehen. Eh? Ehehen. Ehehen. Ehehen. Nice Shouta, nice Meriko. Meriko is very nice._

_Shouta, Shouta, I'm so creepy,_

_Don't you realize that you're just a pawn on the board?_

_Shouta, Shouta, I'm so creepy,_

_Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, little dolt!_

_Guilty-guilty-guilty!"_

CRASH! WHAM! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! The unfortunate pawn made of plastic became the target of violent blows by the sword, the girl being trained to hit with precision and force. "AHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHA! Bye-bye, feelings that weren't supposed to exist in the first place!"

When her family returned, Meriko greeted them with the sweetest smile she could muster, and told her sister Sawako, "Sawako, want to follow me to Kyoto this weekend? I think I'm paying Akazaki-san a visit. He got himself a girlfriend. I must congratulate him."

Sawako gave a look of wide-eyed surprise.

_I'll curse him once, then I'll leave him to his life. Ehehehen…_

Meanwhile, before sleeping, she turned to look at the chessboard. She picked up the black queen, and spoke to it, "Shika, don't ever disappoint me, eh? You're still my Queen. I'll always use you as my right hand. That Akazaki was just silly. He never knew the world that he missed, the wonderful dark world that I thought of pulling him into. Nah, I think that boy doesn't have it in him. If I show him that, he'll just run away in fear. You do understand, don't you, Sonoyuki?"

No one would notice a broken pawn inside the wastepaper basket. Even if they did, they would never guess the story behind it.

* * *

_Afternoon the next day_

"So, bipolar-psychopath-chan, how were things at school?" Meriko asked.

"Eh? Don't call me that! Now I regretted being dramatic," Shika answered. "It was just some melodrama!"

"Melodrama? You sounded really into it, though, ehehen," Meriko smiled. "Bipolar-psychopath-Shika-chan, uh! So I'll call you bipo-pa-Shika!"

"Gugh…" Shika groaned. "How about you, Master? I noticed you looking pale and troubled ever since this morning. Even before the part about the exam results."

"Eh? Did I really look that way?" Meriko feigned ignorance. "Well… to be honest, I received some… shocking news last night. It's a secret!"

"Eh? Master, you won't trust me?" Shika asked in shock.

"Ehehen, no need to call me Master in public, okay?" The two were walking home from school.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. It was written in the contract."

"Yup," Meriko agreed cheerfully. "So, how were things?"

"Well, nothing much, just boring gossips, nothing you can use. Although since the results came out, some girls are starting to drool over Nick."

"Ah, those bird-brained empty-headed fools," Meriko gave a wry smile. "I wonder why the majority of the world population falls into that category."

"That's why you have me," Shika answered. "I'm the one who understands you the most. I'm your apprentice!"

"Ehehen, nope, you still have a lot to learn on the dark way," Meriko replied with a grin. "But yeah, you're my most valuable servant. If, say, you were tied on a railway, with a train heading your way, if I had to, I won't hesitate to blast away the train and all inside it with a bazooka, or whatever, to save you. Hundreds of people will die, all right, but they're replaceable. Unlike you my friend."

"Uh, wow," Shika thought. "That was creepy."

"Ehehen, see? I told you that you still have a lot to learn! But never mind that, that was just a metaphor, a figure of speech, you think I'll really do that?"

"Eh… who knows?" Shika answered with a cheeky smile. The two burst into laughter. "I'm flattered though. I would do the same thing, Master, it's my job. But for you to feel obliged to do the same way, Meriko-sama, is an honour."

"Ehehen, I told you to take it easy with those 'Master' and '–sama' usage in the public!" Meriko reminded. "But, yep, told you it's just a figure of speech. Your loyalty is yet to be tested my friend, yet… to be tested."

"Meh, I have my full trust in you," Shika asserted nonchalantly. "I know no matter how twisted you are, you're reliable, and merciful."

"Why thank you," Meriko answered.

* * *

_Kekkai Middle School_

_Two years ago_

"Meriko-san!" Shika called out after the black haired girl. They were twelve year-olds at that time, in the First Grade of middle school.

"Eh?"

But before she could say anything, the girl already pulled her into a vacant classroom. Slamming the door shut, Shika exclaimed, "Please teach me how to be like you!"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Meriko wouldn't have taken the girl seriously, if Shika didn't bring out the ace up her sleeve. THUMP. She put a leather-bound book on the table. That made Meriko's eyes widen. Shika gave out a crooked grin.

"My… my diary!"

"Your diaryyyy…" Shika spoke with relish, sounding much more sinister than the little girl she looked.

"How did you get it? You read it? You did?"

"Of course, you're a very interesting person… You're sooo like me…" Shika spoke in a half-whisper. But then she sounded normal again. "Teach me how to be like you!"

"Eh? You're… sure? That diary was just… uhum, fiction! It's just a character I imagined, I'm glad you like it!"

But then Shika put her hands on Meriko's shoulders. Her eyes widened, the glazed look lingering on them, she whispered, "I know that they speak of the real Meriko-san… Nice and sweet Meriko-san. She has a dark side, doesn't she? Show me Meriko-san's dark side!"

"Ehehen, you're being creepy, Sonoyuki-san!"

"I'm weird like you too!" Shika insisted. "I'm crazy too! I want someone to understand me too!"

Meriko's eyes narrowed. "No, this is a lonely path, I don't really trust people," she snatched her diary back, and started to walk towards the door.

"Please! I'll be your good friend! I'll be someone you can trust, I swear! You can even trust me with your life, and I'll even trust you with mine! Here, my own diary!" Shika pulled out a small volume from her pocket, a leather-bound diary no bigger than her palms.

"I doubt that book will interest me, it's probably full of mundane ramblings of how mediocre your life is."

"That's just the latest volume from a series of ten," Shika answered. "And I would just love to have your eyes, your amazing worldview!"

"Nah, I don't feel like wasting my time, sorry. You're really an interesting one," Meriko patted the girl's head. "You'll be a friend, but just that. Maybe even a good one. I never actually have a close and dear friend."

"Hehe… I just knew you're going to say that," Shika giggled. "So let me be your assistant! I'll help you in many, many things. You'll get to know me better, I'll get to know you better, and I can learn sooo much from you. I'll be a big help to you."

"Ha!" Meriko snapped, and made her move. This time, she grabbed Shika's shoulders, and pinned her against the wall. The twintailed girl's look of surprise was as if she was reconsidering what she was up against. Meriko showed her crooked grin and gave a low whisper. "Very well then, I'll see if you'll chicken out from this. I want you to be my servant, you'll obey my orders, you'll have to put full trust in my every action, and I'll even bind you with a contract! You'll be in my hands, I'll put you to work, and then I'll see if you're worth my time, my way of thinking and my life. There'll even be punishments whenever you deserve it."

"Ehehe… ahahahahahaha!" Meriko's eyes widened seeing Shika cackle that way. For Meriko, it was unnerving to realize that she was really not the only one. "As I expected, Meriko-sama, Master!"

* * *

"So, how did our universe go?" Meriko asked, returning to the present. They were walking home from school. The afternoon was hot, but Meriko didn't mind. Being in the company of an understanding friend made the heat felt more tolerable.

"Well, Claana's preparing for a war," Shika answered. "Those Crusaders who think they're so rightful are amassing. You know they're greedy materialistic jerks with a revolting sense of justice."

"Good, let me see it then," Meriko complimented. "Email the storyboard to me."

"It's about 4,000 words," Shika added, "Your Majesty."

"Ah, you're the gamemaster. I'll plan my moves to foil this futile assault," Meriko replied. "You have no idea what tricks I have up my sleeve."

"As expected of the Dark Queen," Shika commented. "Don't disappoint me."

"Well, I'll show you what Doll Elizabeth was capable of. And Doll Azrael. I'll see if just using them both will be enough for the first wave. I'll save the other eight for a good surprise."

They were talking about a fantasy novel they were writing together. But it was more like a game than a novel. This time Shika was the gamemaster, while Meriko acted on the main character side.

"You're sure you can handle this?" Meriko asked. "With what possibilities I have in mind, I doubt if even you can expect what I'm going to bring in retribution. The gamemaster will be the one having to do the complicated task of deciding what are the effects of my actions on the whole story. She might just have to cope with having to write an unexpected ending."

"It's going to be massive, alright," Shika agreed. "But I'm still not forgiving you for the way you trapped my character in your last story. Seriously, and I thought the shrine maiden was the murderer. Then she was the one ending up disemboweled alive on the donation box and eaten by crows."

"Ehehen… I told you that you still have a lot to learn," Meriko answered. "Well, you know the first rule in my way of thinking."

"Which one?"

"Reality is what you perceive it to be. If to you, your dreams are reality, then that is your reality. If to you, waking up is reality, then that is your reality. If to you, magic is reality, then that is your reality. If to you, a person is evil, that is your reality. If to you, you are weak, that is your reality."

"Ah, what's the name of the person who told you that? I forgot."

"Maribel. I only met her once. Her name was the only thing she told me. She said she saw something in me, and told me not to give up on the reality I believe in. Somehow I wish I can see her again. She knows something. I wonder what kind of person she really is."

"So, that means, each of us lives in a different reality?"

"Yup."

"Different universes?"

"Kinda."

"Whoa, deep… really deep." Shika turned silence for a few moments. Suddenly she hugged Meriko's arms. "Hey, can I add yuri elements? Owowouchiowie…" she said in pain as Meriko twisted her ear.

"Don't even think about it."

"Just kidding, it's not like you and I are in that kind of relati-owowowouchie…"

Suddenly a bulky man ran past the two, bumping into Meriko's shoulder, making her lose grip on her attaché case.

"Tcheh," the man spitted. "I'm in a hurry. Don't you even have eyes, brats?" he grumbled in a gruff voice.

"I curse you," Meriko whispered, nearly inaudible, picking her attaché case while not letting her eyes off the rude man. The dark brown orbs had a glazed look. The wind was not blowing, but Shika could feel a chill creeping up her neck.

Suddenly the man tripped, and got a telephone pole straight to the face.

"Don't you even have eyes, brat?" she whispered in the same faint voice, passing swiftly and noiselessly by the man sporting a bump on his head and spitting out swear words. Shika nervously went after her.

A safe distance away, Shika exclaimed, "Wow, you're really getting better at that, Meriko-sama!"

"Ehehen, why thank you, I practiced. It gets much more accurate from time to time. See? That's how I used that reality. To me, I am giving that man a curse, so that is my reality. Well, some relatives used to say I may be one of the incarnations of Amaterasu, and all that. I don't believe them, of course."

"But… how can you…"

"Ehehen, not sure how it works, though. I believed, and it happens. Well, most of the time. Although, sometimes there are unexpected side-effects. If ever I know how to teach, or share this ability, you'll be the first one, maybe the only one to learn it."

"Any side-effects this time?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling kinda very depressed all of a sudden at this moment."

"Your face doesn't look depressed. At all."

"I thought you already know that I'm a good actor." Then she looked around. "No one? Hm, good."

CLATTER.

Much to Shika's surprise, Meriko suddenly kicked the trash can in front of a house, sending its contents spilling to the ground. "Oh my, what a mess!" Meriko feigned surprise.

Then she pulled a plastic bag from inside her pocket. Using it as a glove, she started to pick up the contents of the spilled trash can and gathered them together, putting them inside where they belonged. It took her quite some time, and she seemed to do it with deliberate lack of haste.

"Oh my, oh my, young lady, no, no, no need, thanks for the trouble! I wonder who made this mess, no, no need to trouble yourself!" a kindly old man rushed towards the gate. _Lucky! _Meriko thought.

"Ehehen, it must be a cat, or a naughty child, or something. I just acted on a whim," Meriko put on her most innocent face. She was enjoying the ambiguous nature of her statement. She was not exactly lying.

"It's hard to find anyone with that kind of thought these days, right? Wait here, please."

"No, no, no, no need, really, we're just on the way home from school."

But with sprightly steps, the old man already disappeared into his home.

"Wow," Shika commented wide-eyed.

"Shush, just wait," Meriko stopped her with a smile.

And the old man reappeared. "Here, here, some drink for your trouble," he handed two cartons of orange juice. "It's a hot afternoon!"

"What? No, I don't think I should accept this! I don't deserve it!" she acted innocent again. But then, her words were actually making fun of the old man.

"Oh come on, I insist, please do! Here, one more for your friend."

"Ehehen. Th… thanks. I'm… I'm really thankful for this gift, oji-san," Meriko gave a polite bow. Shika awkwardly followed suit.

They left the old man with knowing grins on their faces. A safe distance away, they erupted into laughter.

* * *

_The night of the spiriting away_

Meriko sat on her place at the table, putting down the plate of rice and burger curry her mother made. The other members of her family were already there sitting at their places round the rectangular table. It was something like a policy that her father had set, that, _We're a family; when it's time to eat together, it's time to eat together._

Her father, Takagi Fuumi, was a bespectacled man with wavy black hair, wearing a thoughtful but friendly expression. But Meriko knew that under the kindly friendliness was a strong willed and a strict person.

Her mother, Akemi, was a spitting image of Meriko, with a stoic expression and eyes that were more slanted.

Her sister, Sawako, two years her junior, had a rounder face. Her skin was not as pale as Meriko's and unlike her, Sawako's straight black hair was shorter that it did not touch her shoulders.

And opposite her was her younger brother, Wataru, seven years old. His eager childish face had a lively look, and yet there was an air of calm composure surrounding the young boy.

"Meriko, is that enough? You need to take some more, you're already too thin," Akemi spoke gently.

"No, don't worry, Mother, ehehen. I'm just not very hungry," Meriko replied. "It's not like I'm on a diet or whatever."

"So how's school?" her father interrupted.

"Well, exam results are out… My average percentage was 94.5%, so, not bad," Meriko shrugged, depending on the fact that her family would assume everything was like it had been for eight years, with her on the top.

Her father gave a satisfied nod. "Well, it was nothing to regret if you've done your best," he pointed out. "To me, it was not the matter of marks, it was the matter of efforts that you put in."

"Just 78%," Sawako muttered faintly.

"Well, don't worry, Sawako, we know that you've tried your best. In fact, I would even say that you studied more than Meriko did," Akemi defended.

"And that's not a reason to sulk!" her father protested. "Didn't I say that, whatever happens, it's all fated by the heavens? The important thing is us doing our best. If we've done our best, then there's nothing to feel down about."

"I have my exam tomorrow," Wataru declared.

"Do your best, young man!" his father clenched his fist in support. "Don't forget to study first."

Meriko yawned, putting down her fork.

"Now there's something I'm telling you all," her father began. "We're moving to Osaka this summer break."

"WHAT?" Meriko exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, I got transferred. Besides, it's closer to our relatives there, right?"

Meriko groaned. Her father's side of the family came from Osaka, caring for the shrine of Obimichi in worship of the goddess Amaterasu. Being the eldest of her generation in the family, they nearly made her to be the next family head for her generation. At the age of twelve, she refused, because then that would mean a life at the shrine, as a shrine maiden, which to her, would conflict with her aspirations. And she knew that it would be a very, very boring life. Somehow, for some reason, she was not one with much faith in the gods. Luckily her cousin, a year younger than she is, agreed to take that role.

"But… I don't want to change schools. I… I already have friends, I already adapted to that school, it's… a part of my life," she muttered. "Can I stay here? Maybe… at Shika's house?"

"Meri," her mother interrupted. "Shika lives with her single mother. We don't want to burden her."

"But… but…" Meriko stuttered, but her father shot her a stern look. Meriko paled, and quickly finished her meal in silence. Then she stood up, and said to her family, "Well, I'm going to Shika's house tonight. I'm going to have a sleepover, we have, some, um, projects."

"Take care of yourself, okay?" her father reminded.

"Ehehen, of course, it's not that far away."

_[Background Music: Patchouli's Theme – Locked Girl – The Girl's Secret Room]_

Once she was outside her house, she phoned her best friend. "Shika? If my family asked, or called, tell them I'm sleeping at your place."

"Yes, Master. And will you be sleeping at my place, Meriko-sama?"

"Yes, but right now I need some time alone to ponder over my dark thoughts."

"As you wish, Meriko-sama."

Stopping at a convenience store, the sky already turning dark, she bought some juice, milk and some chocolates. Then she went to an apartment building, walked up the stairs, and sat there on the roof, taking in the sight of the city at night. Brooding thoughts crossed her mind. _First last night, then it was this afternoon, then this! _She threw a coin at the night in anger. _What plans do you have, o Fate? I know that something big is coming my way, I just knew! Fortune comes after misfortune, but what?_

The summer wind rushed against her face, and for some reason her eyes were watery. Sobbing, she wiped her tears on her sleeves. _Aha, silly Meriko, why are you crying? _She took a grudging bite on the chocolate she brought, savoring the taste, the atmosphere and the sight. She let that moment of weakness to pass.

"There, Meriko, don't cry, okay?

"No, I'm not crying!

"Ehehen. You're much stronger than that. The witch who bends fate should not cry easily like that. Sooo weak… isn't that pathetic?

"I know, I-I can't help it.

"Fate will surely arrange something.

"I… this time I doubted even that. What could possibly happen?

"I don't know any more than you do. But I believe. If you can bless and curse the lives of others, why can't you bless your own life? Do you want to bless your life, or curse it? Your choice. The power is there, maybe closer than you think.

"I know. I choose my reality. I MAKE my own reality. Th… thanks," she said. "You're the most understanding person in my life.

"You're welcome. Now Meriko, please be a person I can respect, okay?

"I will.

"Don't disappoint me," the voice whispered.

Meriko stood stock still. It was not a dialogue. She was talking alone, to herself, asking and answering her own questions. She took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, making her way to Shika's house.

It was already dark, the starless sky hanging like an impenetrable black roof. A crescent moon was there, glowing palely, but its light was of little significance to the city. Only orange light from the streetlights and the yellow glow from the houses became the source of illumination. Meriko walked with calm steps. It was at times like this, that somehow, she felt at peace the most.

That was when with a sudden flash of movement a snatch thief grabbed her purse and made off with it.

* * *

_Phew! That was a tough chapter. I didn't imagine summarizing Meriko's life and character would be this hard, or would take this much words! Really, I was really worried. And Shika somehow turned out more interesting than I expected. And… if this is how Meriko was like in the outside world… imagine how she would be like in Gensokyo?_

_Please tell me what you think! I'm really worried whether this chapter is a good one._

_And thumbs up, a real big thumbs up if you know, which part of Who Killed U. N. Owen Meriko took as the tune for her song. It's the repetitive part. If you get it, then the song will sound kinda addictive, in a crazy way. Now I'm trying to get it out of my head._

_I know that you're all already eager to see Gensokyo and Babaa-sama, right? So, the teaser: Next chapter is the time to be spirited away! Bye-bye cruel world! (Hums Who Killed U. N. Owen)_


	5. The Shikigami's Choice

_Now, again._

* * *

"_The little girl spoke to the enchantress,_

'_Take me out of this world,_

_I hate it, take me away,_

_Take me out of this world,_

_I'm sick of it, take me away,_

_Take me out of this world,_

_I'm bored of it, take me away.'_

'_There, now you're in another world!'_

'_Thanks but if I hate it, get sick or bored of it,_

_Will you again take me away?'" – The Black Princess_

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Shikigami's Choice**

_The night before the night of the spiriting away_

Nicholas' shock was tremendous as a man's cry of pain cut the night. It was a terrible sound, not very loud, but the sound itself sounded very wrong. It was more like the sound of derangement than the sound of sheer pain. He knew he was scared, but somehow his curiosity got the better of him.

It was a dark night, the boy now passing by a silent park, carrying groceries his mother asked him to buy. For some reason, there wasn't as much streetlight in this area compared to others, making it off-limits for children at night. The park was situated at the bottom of a forested hill, the shade under the dark trees a sinister abyss.

He was wondering whether he should at least try to find out what the scream was. It sounded horribly familiar.

All kinds of horrible thoughts crossed his mind. But then, it came to him. He'd heard those kinds of howls before. The realization sent a chill on his nape.

Then his cell phone vibrated. All tense and alert, he was glad he set it to silent mode, or the device might have revealed his presence to whatever was causing that sound.

"Hello?"

"Nick! Where are you right now?" his father's voice asked, sounding more than worried.

"By the park, the one on the way to the furniture store Nito-,"

"Go home as quickly as you can! We have a loose possessed patient! Right in that area! He broke three leather straps all at once, with sheer strength, escaped exorcism, jumped off a three-storied building, and nearly strangled Smith-san to death!"

Even before his father finished explaining he had started to break to a run, but unfortunately in front of him, there was the man himself, clear and obvious under a pool of light. Nicholas knew, for the man was screaming in a deranged way, the very same voice that he heard from the distance. He was sprawled on the ground, appearing as if trying to free his leg from some kind of trap.

"You heard?" a womanly voice asked in a low, but clear whisper. Nicholas' eyes widened as he saw the owner of the voice. "I thought I silenced the boundaries of sound."

A lady in purple dress was sitting midair, calmly holding a parasol. Not much of her features were visible, but the glow of purple eyes on her shadowed face sent a shiver down Nick's spine. For some reason, the sight filled him with utmost terror, the struggling man, the mysterious lady, and the ever oppressive darkness.

He broke to a frightened sprint, his heart thumping madly against his chest, the fear unmatched by any he had experienced his entire life. But then the deranged howls suddenly stopped. He turned to look back, and saw a sight he couldn't believe.

A headless corpse was sprawled under the pool of light like an insect under a microscope, spreading a crimson pool of blood. His heart skipped a beat, but then like an illusion, the corpse suddenly disappeared, leaving only a red stain.

Nick learnt his lesson not to look back. He arrived at home pale and drenched in cold sweat. He called his father and told him what he saw, even telling of the spot where he saw it all happen. But his father called back some time later, saying that there was nothing there, not even a blood stain. The experience left an effect on him. The next day, he was nervous and shaken all day. He never expected that he would meet the lady in purple again the following night.

* * *

_[Background Music: __東方__ [Piano] Necrofantasia]_

_The night of the spiriting away_

Nick's knees shook at the familiar sight of the lady in purple. The body, the sinisterly smiling apparition floating midair, the parasol, the glowing eyes, it was all déjà vu.

He was walking home from his friend's house, regretting his decision to let them stall him until it was dark. Now memories of last night were haunting him. But then, at the junction ahead, he saw a man making off with something in his hands, followed by the familiar figure of his classmate. He thought he could be of help by chasing the man, but it seemed that Meriko really could run, or at least, run better than him. He even took a wrong turning at a junction and had to retrace his steps, delaying him from reaching her. And now the man was a headless corpse…

"I know just what to do with you... BOY!" The lady in purple was hiding the lower half of her face with her fan, but Meriko knew, just knew, that the youkai was licking her lips. Nick, sprawled on the ground quickly retreated but a hole suddenly opened up beneath him and swallowed him whole. He fell in shock without even having the time to scream.

"What did you do to him?" Meriko asked fiercely.

"Why, didn't I say that I eat humans?" Yukari answered, shrugging. "He's just another human, one of those many, many humans who left you alone, those humans whom you never belonged with. Maybe we can have dinner after this. Ran's a really good cook. You never tasted a boy before, do you?"

That question made Meriko blush. "I-I, stop it! I know that you, whoever you are, whatever you are…!" but then Yukari threw her a cold stare. "I mean," the stare showed Meriko the air of majestic superiority, of a being far above the level of mere humans, a being that could do anything that she liked. "You're… this is not accidental, isn't it? You planned this, didn't you? What are the odds of you meeting me instead of any other Mary Sues out there?"

"Well, Fate decided that this story is not going to be led by a Mary Sue," Yukari deadpanned. "You're a Meri Fuu."

"What?"

"I jest. But what makes you think this chance meeting is planned?"

"What are the odds of you killing a person just at the critical moment when he was about to endanger me? You don't look or sound like a superhero to me. No superhero would declare that they eat humans."

"Those fictional characters that wear clothing so tight they have to wear their underpants outside? I look like one, don't I?"

An awkward silence filled the air. "Ugh," Meriko snapped out of it, realizing that she had just been trolled. "Okay, but won't anyone see you if you linger here for long? I don't think you're the kind to like being seen. I don't think you're the kind to enjoy appearing in a newspaper."

"Ah, I did once!" the lady gave a cheerful smile. "I went to this little event humans called cosplaying. That picture appeared in the otaku magazine! Oh, well, doesn't count as a newspaper though. And the caption underneath even said 'Cosplaying is not only for teenagers!' Gah, how I wanted to tear that editor limb from limb! Ah, youkai got your tongue?"

"Err…" Meriko was at loss for words. Trolled, again. "I was saying that you don't want to be seen."

"Why of course," Yukari made an aloof hand gesture, and a hole appeared underneath Meriko's feet. She fell through the void, reappearing in a dark place underneath a cluster of trees, landing painfully on her bottom.

She flinched from the pain. "What… where are we? This is not that Gensokyo, right? It… it's hard to see in the dark."

"No dear," a pair of arms wrapped itself around her neck.

"Ki-ki-kiyah!" Meriko let out a small cry of shock.

"Well, it seems, you're still yet to have experience, ufufu…" the youkai chuckled from behind her.

"That's creepy!"

"If this is creepy, then Gensokyo will be a world filled with creepiness," Yukari chuckled. Meriko spun, but the youkai was no longer there. She looked around, and saw the silhouette of the youkai sitting midair, looking down on her. "There are more than enough creatures wanting to eat you there. But it is a world of dreams and magic."

"I knew it," Meriko stated, head bowed. "It was intentional. You planned this. You planned to bring me there in the first place, didn't you… _Maribel?"_ she let out a smug grin. Even if she couldn't see the youkai's face in the dark, she could sense the youkai's surprise.

"Ufufu… who's Maribel?" Yukari chuckled.

"You've set your eyes on me for quite a while, haven't you?"

"Who's this Maribel, Fuumi-san? Does she look like me?"

"She does! You are Maribel's true form, right? I know you're hiding something when we met that time! So this is your reality!"

"Ah, then you must be Kaguya!" Yukari exclaimed suddenly.

"What?"

"Oh, come on, don't act ignorant! I don't know you're actually a middle-schooler! I thought all you did was sleep at home! How are your rabbits doing?"

"Wait, I don't get it, who's this Kaguya?" Meriko asked, but seeing the mischievous glow in Yukari's eyes, Meriko understood. Trolled again. "Never mind. I'm still confident you're Maribel, even if you deny it."

"Why thank you, I'm sure this Maribel is a young and sweet person," Yukari replied again. "So I'm not offended."

"Wait, now I see that you can bring me into that world and all," Meriko began, "so, will I have powers, or will I be extraordinary there?"

"Ah, people escape a place not to escape a place, but to escape who they were at that place," Yukari mused.

"I… I understand what you mean," Meriko agreed.

"Eh? I don't," Yukari deadpanned. "What does that saying mean?"

"Wha-? Fine, never mind that. So, I will have powers and abilities in Gensokyo, right?" Meriko asked eagerly, ignoring the trolling attempt.

"Disbelief corrodes power, and Gensokyo is a place where people believe," Yukari answered. "It's also a place where people fear."

"What kind of place it is?"

"A world where there are many like me and you," Yukari answered simply.

"But… if I follow you, will I leave this world, my life, forever?"

"Would _you_ leave your world, your life, forever?"

"I… I…" Meriko suddenly found herself hesitant. It puzzled herself. _Maybe I am just a human girl… with a human life, and human feelings, and human attachments…_

_Then it is time to stop being one!_

"I will, and I will face the consequences myself," she stated.

"Final answer?" Yukari asked.

"Ehehen. Just one more thing…" Meriko grinned widely, her usual confidence returning.

* * *

"Mom!" Shika called out, lying on her bed, facing a laptop. "Meriko wants to have a sleepover!"

"Whaaat?" her mother replied from the kitchen.

Shika took a deep breath. "Didn't I tell you before, Mom? Did you forget?"

"When did you tell me?"

"You didn't hear? Maybe because you were too busy with your work! Kyah!"

"Shika, let me have a word with-," her mother entered her daughter's room to find it empty. "Shika? Shika?"

* * *

Shika fell sprawled, face down on the moist undergrowth. She quickly sat up, brushing the dirt off her pyjamas, her mind in utter shock from the sudden fall and the darkness.

"Yukari-sama, what should I do with the boy?" a voice spoke in the darkness.

"Ran, don't interrupt me," another voice replied. Shika looked up, and her jaw fell open. A pair of humanoid silhouettes was looming against the dark sky, against a gap between the roof made of trees.

"Shika, it's me, your master Meriko," a familiar voice sounded, as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around the girl's neck. "Everything's fine. This is a weird reality, I know, but please have full trust in me." Then Meriko seemed to turn to face the two. "Fuumi Meriko. Pleased to meet you. I'm going to be a newcomer to Gensokyo."

Shika's eyes adjusted to the darkness. She could discern two figures. One was something like a human with glowing purple eyes, sitting midair holding something like an umbrella, while the other one seemed to be standing, also midair, but seemed to have something like ears or horns on its head.

The horned figure answered the greeting. "Yakumo Ran. I'm Yukari-sama's shikigami. Pleased to meet you."

"Ah, a summoned magical servant, is it?" Meriko commented. "This is my shikigami, Sonoyuki Shika."

"Wha-?" was all that Shika could gather to respond.

"She's still very, very inexperienced, and lacked training," Meriko continued. "I hope life in Gensokyo will make her a better and much more useful servant. Although, the first and most important test, the test of loyalty… is now."

"Ufufufu… you have a shikigami?" Yukari chuckled. "You're using that reason to have me send her to Gensokyo with you?"

"But well, I'm a merciful master," Meriko continued fluently. "I'll let her have a choice. Whether to come to Gensokyo, and continue being my shikigami, or stay in the human world, and rot for all I care." Then she whispered in Shika's ear, "Don't disappoint me."

"Meri?" Shika asked, her eyes wide open from confusion and fear. "Is this a dream?"

"This is reality," Meriko whispered. "This is not a dream. My reality, not your dream. I am going to enter a world of magic and powers, and say goodbye to the human world. This is my reality. Do you share the same reality? Because if you don't, or don't want to, this is goodbye."

"Wait, Meri, please explain everything!" Shika said in a high-pitched whisper.

"Over there, is my good friend, Yukari Yakumo. She's a youkai. She's inviting me to a world of magic, powers and battles named Gensokyo."

"You trust her?"

"I think she is Maribel's true form," Meriko answered.

"That Maribel?" Shika asked, still in confusion.

"Yukari-sama," Ran spoke. But her master cut her short.

"Patience, Ran. Things are getting interesting."

"I told you that you still have a lot to learn and understand," Meriko told Shika. "Welcome to my world, Shika. This is what you should've been expecting when you dared to approach me two years ago."

"This is real?" Shika asked, but Meriko did not answer that question, implying the obvious.

"There is no guarantee, none at all, that once you pass through to the other side, that you will ever return. Will you follow me, my loyal servant? This is a test of loyalty."

"Meri… sama," was all Shika could bring herself to say. The girl seemed to tremble from inner turmoil.

"No matter how twisted I am, I am merciful and reliable," Meriko mentioned. This time she turned, and sat in front of the girl, mere inches separating their faces. "Look into my eyes. I am resolute. This is your choice. Whether this is a time to prove your loyalty, or this is goodbye. Do you choose me, or do you choose the hundreds of replaceable humans?"

Shika's mouth fell open. Meriko could really corner someone when she wanted to.

"Ufufu… interesting child she is, isn't she, but still a child nonetheless?" Yukari muttered. "Don't worry, as much as I am tempted to, I won't eat your shikigami, ufufu. Heh, maybe."

"I promise I'll even find a way for you to have powers, there," Meriko whispered. "So, do you really choose me and a new world over hundreds of replaceable humans and a world of cages and limitations?"

Shika broke into a sobbing fit. "Meriko-sama, I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye…"

"If that's final, Shika, then I'll have to find or make another Shika then," Meriko answered without emotions. "Goodbye."

"I'm really sorry, Meriko-sama…"

* * *

_That ended up on a different note than I imagined it would be. Sigh…_

_Did anyone think they saw Shika in the OP? Did I say it was her?_

_Ps. I'm trying to pull something risky here._

_Teaser: Crossing the border._


	6. Spiriting Away

_Now on to Gensokyo! _

* * *

"_People escape a place not to escape a place, _

_But to escape who they were at that place._

_People leave a friend not to leave a friend,_

_But to leave who they were when they're with that friend._

_People leave the past behind not to leave the past behind,_

_But to leave who they were in that past behind." – The Black Princess_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Spiriting Away**

_The night before the night of spiriting away_

"It hurts doesn't it," Yukari Yakumo asked the man sprawled in front of her, "youkai?"

"It hurts… please let me out… their disbelief… their fear… it is too much… I messed up!" the man replies, his voice oddly gruff and hoarse for someone stick thin. He was on the ground, his limbs at an awkward angle, and one of his feet missing in an odd way. The said foot was actually gripped by one of Yukari's gaps, preventing his escape. Then he howled in pain again.

"Can you leave that body? Is that man still alive?" Yukari asked, as calmly as if they were having drinks in a restaurant.

"Hwwaaaaaaaaaaarggghhhh! He's dead! I killed him! He's deaaaaa-waaaaaararrrggghhh!"

"Youkai kill humans once in a while, and vice versa," Yukari answered calmly. "You should've known better that you don't belong in this world. And… be glad that I decided to end your suffering, weakling, and let you in to Gensokyo." But suddenly her youkai senses detected someone approaching.

A running boy stopped in his tracks, eyes wide open in apparent fear of the sight in front of him. "You heard? I thought I silenced the boundaries of sound," Yukari told him serenely. But the boy was already running away in fear. Yukari sighed. "Very well, I'm getting this over with," she whispered faintly, as a gap appeared and swallowed the man's head, spraying blood everywhere. "Summer night is short. I don't have that much time to be awake anyways."

Just as the spirit inside the man's body emerges, she summoned a gap to swallow the spirit, and after that, the body, erasing all evidence. But then there was still the blood.

The next step however, was less impressive.

"Ran," she called.

Her assistant appeared. "Yukari-sama, why did you have to behead him? Won't strangling him or anything else, like breaking his neck will be less messy? Because…"

"Because a certain kitsune had to clear the mess, right? Ufufu…" Yukari shrewdly guessed.

"Yes, Yukari-sama," Ran replied submissively.

"I didn't have much time. That boy saw everything. Besides, I had to let the spirit come out. And because the boy was there, remember that we youkai are born of fear. Fear gives us power. Beheading is effective, scary and quick. Although I'm now wondering if I should have sliced him along his line of symmetry. That would be much, much scarier, not to mention quick. But then, a certain kitsune will have troubles cleaning the spilled guts off the road.

"Now, take a bucket of soap and start cleaning!"

* * *

_[Background Music: __東方__ [Piano] Necrofantasia]_

_Night of the spiriting away_

Shika broke into a sobbing fit. "Meriko-sama, I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye…"

"If that's final, Shika, then I'll have to find or make another Shika then," Meriko answered without emotions. "Goodbye."

"I'm really sorry, Meriko-sama…" the girl was shaking, her head bowed. "Actually, what I mean is, I'm afraid I'll have to say goodbye to THIS WORLD! Ahaha… ehehe… I'm too happy… that's why I'm crying," the girl raised her head, a twisted grin curling her lips. "Ehehe… ahahaha… I never imagined that this time will come…" to Meriko's surprise, Shika threw her arms around her in a tight hug, "Master, we'll be together forever, right? Right?"

"Wah! Shika, what are-what are you-," this time, it was Meriko wondering what was she up against. "Ehehen, I can't promise that though," Meriko answered with an awkward smile, back to her usual carefree tone. "Can you let go? I'm feeling creeped out here?"

"Eh, sorry," Shika let go, but with lightning reflexes, Meriko caught her by the ear, "Owowowowouchie-ouchie! Ahaha, owowowow sorry sorry sorry!"

"That's for having the audacity to hug me without permission," Meriko spoke. "If you're a boy, you'll be half dead by now, get it?" she scolded, half-shouting.

"Oooowwww! Okay, okay, Master it hurts, ehehe, it hurts!"

"Oh, geez, stop that, you sound very creepy!" Meriko threw the little girl away.

"Don't worry, Ran, you can hug me anytime," Yukari said nonchalantly.

"Eh, what, Yukari-sama?" her assistant replied in surprise.

"I jest."

"Forgive me, my shikigami's like that. She needs to learn some manners. I told you she still needs a lot of training," Meriko told the gap youkai.

"Well, never mind. A human with a shikigami is not something I see every day," the youkai shrugged, and made a movement with her parasol, mumbling words Meriko couldn't catch with her ears. A tear in the dimensional fabric opened, revealing a darkness darker than the night itself. Yellow eyes stared out from the inside, eyes belonging to nothing. "Jump in," the lady beckoned.

"Can I ask something?" Meriko spoke, as something crossed her mind.

"No."

"Never mind, I'll ask anyway," Meriko said, knowing too well that Yukari was being sarcastic. "Can you erase all evidence of the snatch thief? If someone finds him, with my purse, with me missing, they'll think the worst. And, I think, I want to leave a letter for my family and Shika's. Send it to them after a week."

"I've cleared the body already, I have a family to feed. But I wonder what will I get from doing all these favours for you?" Yukari asked.

"I'll be a good girl in Gensokyo," Meriko replied smoothly. Yukari scowled. Meriko seemed to be a fast thinker. To send the letter after a week will make her family confident that she was still alive. Too early, and they would have their hopes too high on finding her. Too late and they would probably thought her dead already and be utterly depressed. She couldn't risk any of her family member committing suicide or having a depression from her going missing. And the same would be for Shika's case. _And… Nick? That boy! I wonder if I should save him somehow. I mean, _how _should I save him somehow._

But Meriko was crossing her fingers behind her back. _Why would I bind myself with my own words? _Then, thinking fast, before the youkai could ask her more questions, she took a leap of faith into the abyss.

"Ehehe!" Shika's cackle of glee was the next thing Meriko heard after getting in. It was a strange place, a void filled with staring eyes, which made Meriko wonder what the logic behind their existence in a transdimensional space was. But then, a dark tunnel leading to a magical world would, of course, need to defy logic. The eyes gave her an uneasy feeling, the way they seemed to stare at her, and yet through her, just within reach, and yet very distant at the same time.

"Meriko-sama, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Shika screeched in glee.

"We're not there until we're there, Shika, so behave yourself," Meriko reproached coldly. Shika let out an "Ehehe," but stayed silent like the obedient servant she was.

Meriko wondered if the patch of black in front of her was the exit. It appeared less black, closer to dark blue compared to its surroundings. And it was not just from the way it looked, but the way it felt. Her heart felt like it was being beckoned by a dormant instinct. It spoke of a world where she could truly belong and be herself.

She emerged on the other side, ten feet above ground. Stepping out a little bit too hurriedly, she lost balance and fell out of the gap. But not before pulling Shika's hand and, by reflex, using the unfortunate girl as a landing cushion.

"AHACK! Wheeze… Owowowowow…. Ouchie… ouchie…" the groans of pain made even Meriko feel guilty. "Owowowowowow…"

"Shika! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! You okay?" Meriko asked, quickly standing up. She practically sat on the girl when she landed, and now was genuinely concerned if she broke a few vertebrae. _And I thought _my _landing hurt…_

"Ehehe… pain is… a part of being a servant, every time," Shika muttered, still flat on her belly. "Ehehe… ow… ehehe… To be a good servant… masochism… is a must sometimes…"

Meriko gave the girl a little kick, "Don't creep me out with strange words. Although, ehehen, I'll take that as a good thing. You didn't break anything?"

"Ehehe… to be hurt by Master is an honor… to be sat on… if it was to make Master impressed of me…"

"I said, cut it out with being creepy," Meriko reproached, blushing a bit. "You're not having perverted thoughts, are you?"

"Ehehe," was all that Shika replied.

_Tsk, I spoke too much, _Meriko thought. _I wonder when she started to be this creepy._

"Ufufu… and I thought my shikigami was weird…" Yukari spoke from above them. "This is Gensokyo."

Meriko looked around. They were in a clearing surrounded by trees. It was night, but somehow the night here was very different compared to the outside world. Stars were much brighter here, like colourful immobile fireflies, but that was to be expected, given the absence of manmade lights. But then there was the Moon. It was just a crescent moon, but it looked far bigger than in the outside, and Yukari was sitting on a gap positioned to make it look as if she was sitting on the sickle Moon itself.

The night felt livelier and fresher than it did in the outside world. Long grass tickled her calves as the wind caressed them. Cicadas cried a confusing cacophony. It all appeared like any other summer night, but somehow, Meriko just knew, there was a different feel. It was in the air. It was in the ground. It was in the trees and plants. It was in the sky and clouds. Everything. And the most importantly, it was in her being. Her heart felt it.

Then she focused her attention on the youkai. Yukari appeared the same as she was in the outside world, but right here, she felt much more menacing, like a dictatorial queen but with a gentle and slightly playful bearing that did not dim her aura of power. The youkai's entire being seemed to speak, _you are on my turf, little one._

"So…" Meriko began awkwardly, at loss for words.

"So?" Yukari asked, a grin appearing on her face.

"Don't worry, Master, I can still sit," Shika put her arms around Meriko's shin, resting her head against Meriko's knee, making the girl feel uneasy. Meriko was wearing black loafers, a black longskirt, and a buttoned lavender cardigan over a white turtle-necked shirt, both of them long sleeved. And Shika, Meriko only noticed now that the Moon was much brighter, the barefoot girl was just clad in pink pyjamas. _This girl… she's happy to be spirited away just in her pyjamas. My servant indeed._ And she noticed the happy expression on Shika's face, which was kind of too happy it bordered on creepy. One wasn't supposed to grin that way after being sat on from a height of ten feet. _One shouldn't be grinning that way at all! It looks perverted!_

"Ahem," Meriko gathered her thoughts. "What about the boy? He is still an acquaintance of mine. It will really upset me if he is eaten."

Yukari shrugged. "Well, I had enough food storage already, so," a gap opened midair, and Nick fell in front of Meriko, blindfolded, gagged and with hands bound behind his back. On top of him was a small brown haired girl in a red outfit. The girl had a pair of cat tails and cat ears with a green mobcap between them, indicating that she was a nekomata youkai. She looked like a child, with her large dark orange eyes carrying an innocent gleam within them.

"Chen, no, this boy had to go," Yukari told in a matter-of-factly manner.

"Aww," the nekomata said, but did not protest, leaping off the boy with cat-like agility. "Where's Ran-sama?"

"Ufufu… she's off to fetch a shrine maiden," Yukari replied with a knowing grin. Facing Meriko, she explained, "Just if you're wondering, Chen here is Ran's shikigami."

Crawling on fours, Chen sniffed at Meriko's direction. Shika "Grrr"ed at her, and received a scratch in the face. "Owowow…" Too bad Chen had long red fingernails. The nekomata then stood on two feet, leaped over the immobile figure of Nick, and retreated to her master.

Meriko ignored the two shikigamis. _Uh, is Shika a Shikigami?_ "So, Chen is the shikigami of your shikigami? Uh, never mind that. So, where are we staying?"

"Someone will fetch you and show you round the human village. Being a youkai, I don't stay with the humans, so this is as far as I'll go. But while waiting for them, I am curious, what are you actually?"

"I don't… really know," Meriko replied.

"Are you powerful?" Yukari asked. "What can you do?"

"I'm just… I know that I can curse people, making them unlucky, and I can make myself or someone else lucky. Or rather, I can make my wish become true by focusing my intent and belief. But… it's a limited power. Just to use it exhausts my mind. And it was not always successful. Sometimes it even backfires."

"For a human, that is unusual. Can you fight?" Yukari asked.

"Yes, a bit. I take sword fighting classes."

"Can you use magic?"

"Maybe that I can make people lucky or unlucky is magic?"

"Anything else that differs you from other humans?" Yukari asked.

_My mind and feelings are different, _Meriko thought, but she didn't feel like telling that to the youkai. Her eyes were focused on the prone figure of Nick on the ground. The boy was either unconscious or asleep – or pretending to be. "No, I guess that's all."

"Are you sure? Try focusing your mind, your energy, your powers into your hands, let's see if anything happens."

"Okay," Meriko replied, but she was pessimistic. _Why would anything happen from me just doing that? _But somehow Yukari's command was tempting. She was after all in Gensokyo. If she would be extraordinary at all, it would be now. Despite her pessimism, within seconds, she found herself ecstatic with uncontainable excitement. _This is the moment I've been waiting for! _She closed her eyes.

"Meri, Meriko! Merikooo!" Shika's voice surprised her. She opened her eyes. A shapeless mass of energy was coalescing like thick smoke into an unstable sphere, looking as if it would explode anytime. Meriko, surprised, lost focus.

BOOM. The unstable sphere blew into a blinding pillar of light like a flash of thunderbolt, leaving a round area of blackened grass and smoke smelling of burnt grass with a sharp tinge of something unnatural.

Even Yukari's eyes widened from surprise. But then the purple eyes narrowed. The explosion sent Meriko tripping backwards, falling on the grass in a sitting position. Luckily she was not singed, but her clothes now smelled of smoke.

"Mffff!" Nick made a sound blocked by the gag in his mouth. If only he had known that his rival in class nearly burnt him with an energy explosion. _Good thing he was blindfolded, _Meriko thought.

But then, she suddenly had a light-headed feeling, her body feeling cold all over as if she was feeling under the weather. "What… what happened?"

"Ufufu… Now I see how dangerous you can be, human," Yukari spoke. "Looks like what I saw in you was right. Fuumi, is it? As in, two seas?"

"Y-yes?" Her family name, Fuumi means two seas.

"You are a meeting of two great forces," Yukari said enigmatically. "Now I am wondering if bringing you into Gensokyo will bring good or harm. But you promised to be a good girl, did you?"

"Ehehen, yes, I promised," Meriko acted as her usual self despite the fact that right now she really felt like curling under a blanket and getting a good night sleep. She was feeling tired all of a sudden, as if from overexertion. The blast just now must have taken quite a lot of her life force. But she crossed her fingers in her pocket. "I promise not to bring trouble."

But then she felt someone holding her hand, the one with the crossed fingers. A bead of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, as in front of her, Yukari was gripping a hand poking out of a small gap, a hand with crossed fingers. The youkai was holding a spread fan with her other hand, covering her mouth while her eyes narrowed in an expression that made Meriko swallow hard.

"Ehehen."

"I'm not a Yama, so I'm not going to pull out your tongue," Yukari let the hand go, as Meriko jerked her hand out of Yukari's gap and out of her pocket.

"Crossing fingers is… a gesture for wishing for good luck?" Meriko gave her excuse lamely. But as she said that, countless spheres of light materialized around the youkai, hovering malevolently. Even Chen, who was silent all this time, suddenly leapt to the air, to her master's side, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

"Then I wish you good luck with my bullets." Yukari whispered menacingly.

* * *

_Ehehen indeed. Meriko messed up? I think I taught a lesson already in my last story: Don't mess with the gap youkai._

_And, ah! The part near the beginning. If you read the last chapter thinking that Shika chickened out, congratulations, you've just been trolled by Shika._

_Teaser: A danmaku battle already?_


	7. The Shikigami's Reward

_Well, sorry for the long wait. Actually I was making some addition to my past chapters, that is, addition of background music._

_Chapter 1, was the prologue, I'll keep it silent to make for the hanging suspense. _

_Chapter 2? Are you kidding? That one's mega-epic already!_

_Chapter 3? I'm giving it an air of cold, hard reality daily life, so, no Touhou music will fit, because Touhou music, they have the feeling of fantasy, which definitely doesn't fit in *ugh* school life. So, no music there._

_I added a little bit to the end of chapter 4, although, that's not much, given that it's just a short scene, and that chapter already has the repetitive chorus from Who Killed U. N. Owen. _

_And, I think the main parts I fixed would be Chapter 5 and 6. I hope my choice of music there gives the right feel._

_Never mind. This is quite a big chapter. Now off to Gensokyo!_

* * *

"_Where does insanity start from?_

_It starts from waking dreams._

_Where do waking dreams start from?_

_They start from dreams._

_Where do dreams start from?_

_They start from fears and desires."_

_(The Black Princess)_

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Shikigami's Reward**

"Then I wish you good luck with my bullets." Yukari whispered menacingly. The orbs of light continued to float around her, as Chen's orange eyes widened in awe at her master's power, the purple orbs reflected within her eyes.

"Shika! Drag that boy out of the way!" Meriko commanded, her heart thumping against her chest. There was panic in her voice. She knew this feeling. It was pure fear. Shika hurriedly grabbed Nick by under his arms and dragged him to the side of the clearing. Unfortunately, even if Nick was not a fleshy specimen, Shika was a petite teenager. Groaning, she then noticed that Nick's feet were bound. So she decided to untie the rags binding his feet.

"Mmfff!"

"Shut up! After this, follow me and save your sorry skin!"

Meanwhile, Meriko ran in an arc, causing Yukari to spin in her direction, so that the youkai's bullets of light won't be launched towards her two companions. She ran into cover among the trees, as she can see the bullets of light starting to chase after her. To her relief, they were slower than she expected, but their quantities made up for that, making a formidable offense. She rolled in a ball for the last two metres and hid behind a tree with a thick trunk.

Explosions rocked the ground around her. Meriko stood against the tree, at loss for what she could do.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shika managed to free Nick's legs. Then grabbing the boy under his arms, she pulled him away from the youkai. But unfortunately, having his feet tied made the blood fail to circulate as they should, rendering him unable to stand. "Gahhh!" Shika howled in frustration. The boy thrashed on the ground pathetically. "Hold still, will you, baka!" the girl put her knees on his back and tried to untie his hands with difficulty. "You bag of meat!" Despite the fact that most of the bullets were sent in Meriko's direction, a few stray ones were peppering the ground in the opposite direction. One exploded just by Shika's foot.

But the youkai was no longer there. Behind the tree trunk, seeing the youkai disappear, Meriko could only guess where the youkai would appear next. She turned around and there was the youkai herself, sitting under the shade of trees, her luminous bullets lighting up her blank expression, aiming her parasol at her.

But Meriko had been prepared. In her right hand was a ball of energy she managed to summon with difficulty. Just as she was about to aim the nimbus of energy at her enemy, with a crack, it suddenly disintegrated, creating a backfiring explosion, luckily not as strong as the first one, but strong enough to knock her backwards. The blinding flash and shock was like a stun grenade, knocking her senseless. And if that wasn't enough, stepping backwards in her daze, she tripped over a tree root and fell with her head, hitting a tree trunk with a thud.

For Meriko, everything turned black.

* * *

Meriko opened her eyes. She was lying flat on her back in the middle of the clearing, her head resting on Shika's lap. Seeing the girl's concerned face, Meriko quickly sat up. "What… agh!" her head was throbbing painfully.

"That should be lesson enough," Yukari spoke, her eyes glazed as if not really looking at them. The youkai was sitting on a gap midair as was usual, again with the Moon on the background.

"I… I'm sorry," Meriko spoke heavily. Her whole body ached and felt as heavy as lead. "What, what was that just now?"

"You're lucky that a danmaku battle is usually not fatal," Yukari explained.

"Danmaku?"

"Bullet hell. Curtains and curtains of them. You are a peculiar human. The fact that you possess that much power within seconds of entering this world means that you probably will possess much more. It is only control that you lack. The amount of power you put in the combined two explosions you managed just now probably equalled the power level of… a greater fairy."

"Greater fairy?"

"Yes, they're relatively weak, but for a human from the outside to possess this much power is definitely unusual. Who knows what you'll grow into," Yukari added with a capricious smile. "Those two blasts equal the energy of hundreds of bullets, and thus, much more fatal than the usual danmaku. Danmaku shots were meant to stun enemies, not vaporize them."

Meriko did not know what to say. "I… am powerful?"

"Yes, and no. Yes for a newcomer, and yet, taking from your show of battle capability just now, very weak. Perhaps even super weak. An enemy much weaker than you could defeat you with ease. But I'm not leaving you to do as you like. Gensokyo is a world with rules and a delicate balance. Try not to go against them, or I may be less gentle next time. That's why I chose someone to show you round this world." As she said that, she stood, and the gap she was sitting on noiselessly swallowed her whole.

Everything turned silent again. "Master?" Shika asked, sounding unsure of what to do next.

Next to her, the figure of Nick was sitting, his hands still tied. The boy was still gagged and blindfolded. _Well, I'm so glad I'm not you, _Meriko thought.

"Oh, come on," Meriko answered faintly, "if you meet a strong boss so early in a story, or game, you know you're not supposed to win. You'll probably lose, so the point was actually making sure you can still continue. I lost on purpose."

"Really?"

"Yeah, ahaha, it worked better than I expected. So now, we'll wait for whoever it is going to show us our way," Meriko grinned. "I made my shot daze myself on purpose. It's better that way than letting those bullets hit me. Who knows what those bullets can do. I knew that she won't kill me. What do you think?"

The wind suddenly howled. "Uh, master?" Shika asked, her twintails swaying with the wind.

A girl landed on the clearing. In her hand was a gohei, a wooden stick with paper streamers. She had long green hair and yellow eyes. There was a hair clip shaped like a frog's head plus another hair accessory shaped like a snake twining around a lock of her hair. Her skirt was blue, while her long-sleeved dress was white with blue at the edges.

"Are you alright?" the girl called out, making her way towards the three.

"Ehehen, we're fine, nice to meet you!" Meriko answered.

"I'm Kochiya Sanae, a wind priestess and a shrine maiden, Deified Human of the Wind. Are you all from the outside world too?" she asked, sounding a little bit too excited.

"Yeah."

"Wait, what happened to him?" she said upon reaching the three. Meriko quickly went to Nick and started to untie him. Shika followed suit.

"Eh… it's just Yukari wanting to eat him," Meriko answered.

Sanae gasped. "That Yukari? I'll teach her next time not to toy with people from the outside! And that red and white shrine maiden, she even befriended that youkai, can you believe it?" With just one swipe, she cut the cords binding Nick's hands, something that Shika didn't manage to do. Meriko removed his gag while Shika removed his blindfold.

"Wh-what happened?" Nick asked.

"You all have just been spirited away to Gensokyo," Sanae told him.

"Um, Kochiya-san, can you leave us three for a few moments? We have something to discuss, um, between friends!" Meriko told the shrine maiden. With an "Okay," Sanae retreated.

Meanwhile, Sanae paced round the clearing, thinking. _Weird. Yukari is in good terms with that stubborn red and white shrine maiden. So why did she pass these humans from the outside to me instead? I nearly thought that the kitsune was up to mischief when she showed up, asking me to follow. And why did Yukari seem to personally take care of these outsiders? That was very considerate of her._

"Hello, Nick, how do you feel?" Meriko asked in a cheerful voice.

"Me-Meriko?" the boy asked, sounding confused. "Wait, Shika too?"

"Ehehe," Shika giggled.

"Ehehen, yup, it's us alright," Meriko answered. "We're in another world right now."

"Huh, wait, what? What, what does that mean?" the boy sounded confused. "Wait, it's that cosplaying lady, isn't it? Where is she? Everything was dark, I was tied and blindfolded, it was all confusion."

"She's gone," Meriko answered. Then she continued smoothly, "It was hard, but we somehow made a deal with her to set you free. We nearly got in serious danger. You see all these scorch marks?" she motioned with her hand. In some places, the grass was still smoking where Yukari's danmaku hit. Not to mention the spot where Meriko's power exploded. "It's hardly believable, but… we're stuck in a world of magic."

Nicholas frowned. "Is… is this true?"

"Eh? Yes, of course," Meriko snapped her fingers. A ghostly white flame appeared a second over her palm before disappearing.

"How, how did you… this is not just a dream, right?" Nicholas asked, still incredulous.

"Ehehen, of course not. I'm sure me in your dreams will be, um, I mean, less realistic than this, right?" Meriko pinched the boy's cheek. "There, still dreaming?"

The bewilderment never left Nick's eyes.

"And that Yukari said, we're going to be stuck here foreeever," Meriko added in a singsong voice.

"What? Really?"

"Ehehen, yes really-reaaally," Meriko continued, still in the singsong manner. "We're stuck here foreeever. There's no way back ever and eeever. And I have a proposal for youuuu sir. One that you can never say neeeever."

"Um, Meriko, uh, what do you mean?" Nick asked, smiling but feeling uneasy with Meriko's doom-laden cheeriness.

"Not exactly a proposal," Meriko grinned. "Do you know that Shika is my servant?" At the mention of her name, the young girl copied her master's grin.

"Uh, she's your best friend?"

"Ehehen, not… exactly," Meriko answered sweetly. "She was bound by a contract to serve me. To follow my orders."

"Uh, you don't really make sense. Are you okay, Meriko?" Nick asked, trying to sound concerned. "Did… did you get hit on the head or…"

"Baka!" Meriko rebuked gently, giving _him _a hit on the head. "Ehehen, I'm as okay as eeever," Meriko resumed in the playful singsong manner. "We just saved your life from that monster just now, that Yukari who wanted to eat you. We endangered our life in trying to save you. So, you owe your life to us." She craftily made it sound like she fought Yukari to save the boy.

Rubbing a bump on his head, Nick let out a heavy sigh in relief. "Okay, okay, I got it. I owe you one, Meriko."

"No, that's not what I meeean," Meriko teased again. "Shika, I got a present for you, for your loyalty…"

"Eh?" Shika's face lit up.

"Nick, as much as Shika is my servant, you are now Shika's servant," Meriko declared.

"WHAT?"

"You'll have to follow her every order, and she can even punish you whenever she thinks you deserve it," Meriko continued in the same cheerful tone.

"What? Meriko, what's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

"Ehehen," Meriko answered, her smile turning into a creepy one. _"This is not a democracy…"_ she taunted in English. Shika gave the same creepy smile, making Nick feel like being cornered against an invisible wall.

"What, you two are going to make me?" Nick asked irritably.

"Wrong answer," Meriko and Shika spoke in unison.

_So, maybe she chose me because I came from the outside world myself? _Sanae thought, counting the possibilities with her fingers. _Was it because she wants to hide the newcomers from Reimu? That shrine maiden could be intolerable at times. Ah, and I can get their faith for Kanako-sama!_

But then flashes of explosions behind her cut her train of thought, making her turn in surprise. She turned around to see Meriko chasing Nick, throwing balls of white flame at him.

"Wah, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This is crazy, stop it, I'm sorry!" Nick ran away, probably still very confused from the unlikely situation he was put in.

"Ahahaha, take that, take that, and that, and that!" Meriko chased after the frightened boy, "Ehehe, ahaha, I told you, didn't I, ahaha, aaahahahahahaha!" she cackled in glee.

"Guys! What's this?" Sanae asked.

"Someone please stop her, she's crazy!" a harassed Nick replied.

"Uuu… He… _he insulted my figure!_" Meriko lied believably, putting on a face that looked even more harassed than Nick's.

"I did _what?_" Nick answered incredulously.

"He insulted her figure!" Shika added in support. Nick groaned.

Sanae tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.

"_This is a conspiracyyyy!"_ Nick ran like mad, being chased by a cackling Shika, and a bent-on-destruction Meriko and Sanae. One ball of danmaku went straight between his legs as he ran, scorching the grass. "I give up, I give up!"

"There, got it? Now be a good shikigami!" Meriko said condescendingly.

"What?" Nick protested again, but Meriko snapped her fingers, and the white flame reappeared over her hand. "Okay, okay!" He got the hint.

"So, simplifying things," Meriko put on her cheery face and turned to talk to Sanae, "nice to meet you, Kochiya-san. I'm Fuumi Meriko, this is my shikigami, Sonoyuki Shika, and that's _her _shikigami, Nick Evans," she explained.

"Uh, shikigami?" Sanae asked with a puzzled expresison. "There are shikigami in the outside world? Wait, you're from the outside world too, right? Of course you are, what with your clothing and all."

"Too?" Meriko noticed. "You're from the outside world?" _Uh oh. _Then shikigami might be harder to explain to her.

"Nah, never mind," Sanae shrugged. "I got it weird too. I live with a pair of gods, one of them my ancestor. So, are your shikigami… human?"

"Yes, what do you mean by… gods?" Meriko asked. She imagined when Sanae mentioned gods that she meant statues of gods, or something like that, but from the way Sanae put it, it sounded like they were persons. Real persons.

Meanwhile behind them, Shika was patting Nick on the head with a belated expression. Nick could only sigh in return. Then she pulled his hair. "Ow!"

"Ehehe," Shika giggled. "Be good, I'm your master now!"

"What's with you?"

"What did you say?" Shika pinched him at the side.

"Ow, hey let go!" Nick swiped away her hand.

"Meri-," Shika pretended to call her master, but Nick quickly cut her short.

"Okay, okay, okay, got it. What's the world coming to?" he complained.

A gap opened in the air in front of them. Ran Yakumo poked her upper body out of it. "Are you done? Or I'll leave you to just fly on your own. The human village is not exactly close."

"Shall we, Meriko?" Sanae asked.

"After you, Sanae," Meriko returned Sanae's grin. They stepped inside the gap, followed by Shika jabbing at Nick from behind with a twig.

Their trip through the void brought them into a clearing beside a cluster of wooden houses. They stepped out, landing onto the ground six feet below. Shika was the last to come out, and she made sure to land on Nick. With her knees. And she didn't forget ramming her elbow on his back.

"Gah, ow!" said the boy falling spread-eagled on his face. After wheezes, gasps and hisses of pain, he complained, "Meriko, look at what she did!"

A cheerful "Ehehen," was Meriko's only reply.

"Ehehe," Shika grinned.

_You guys are evil, _Nick thought.

"Feels good to have someone else be your landing cushion, eh?" Meriko asked.

"Yep, pain is a must for every servant!" Shika agreed. "Nick, let me borrow your shoes!"

Nick groaned.

"It's either that or you'll have to carry me, _servant,_" Shika threatened, showing a wide grin.

It worked.

Despite Nick's shoes being too big for her, it was a welcome change from walking barefooted. The same couldn't be said for Nick, though. His expression looked like a defeated dog.

Meanwhile, Meriko felt her spirit lift. Somehow that also lifted her state of exhaustion. It was probably her pondering the opportunities of being in this world of magic and infinite possibilities. Who knew what she could achieve in this world?

Sanae threw a quizzical look at the three.

"Ehehen. Nah, never mind them, it's always like that with those two," Meriko dismissed.

"Well, serves him right for insulting you," Sanae approved. Meanwhile, behind them, Ran poked out from the gap, and seeing that they all made it across, she sank inside again and closed the dimensional tear.

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled. "So, you said that you're from the outside world too, like us?"

"Yes. I'm a shrine maiden at the Moriya Shrine," Sanae replied. "I'm also a human god. Deified Human of the Wind. I can perform miracles!"

"You're… a human god? How is that even possible?" Meriko asked.

"Sometimes, humans that revere a god are themselves revered. Sometimes, shrine maidens can become gods," Sanae told her with an aloof gesture with her arms but with a friendly smile.

"How does that happen, though?" Meriko continued her questioning. The group of four were making their way into the village. The place was like a village taken straight out of the Middle Ages. Fiery lanterns were hung, casting a faint golden light over the surroundings. Many of the wooden houses were already dark, as without electricity, people tended to sleep earlier. But some of them were lit from inside with a soft golden light.

"Well, I gathered enough faith from people who believed in my miracles," Sanae replied with a shrug. "Although, I still owe a lot to Kanako and Suwako-sama, they gave me some of the faith that they gathered to boost my abilities."

"Kanako and Suwako-…"

"They're the gods I'm living with. Suwako's my ancestor," Sanae continued. Behind them, a harassed Nick was scolding Shika for deliberately pulling his hair, again. Shika only gave an "Ehehe."

Once in a while, a villager or two dressed in kimonos and apparel belonging to a time long past would appear from between the houses, minding their own business.

"Well, our shrine is waaaaay up Youkai Mountain," Sanae continued, "but these few days, I'm here in the human village, helping the villagers and gathering faith. Do you believe in gods, and how they make our lives better?"

"Um, not much," Meriko replied gently, as to not insult her host.

"Oh," Sanae sounded disappointed.

"Well, back at home, my family tends to a shrine of Amaterasu," Meriko continued the conversation.

"Ah, Amaterasu," Sanae answered. "But she never appeared to you, or met people, right?"

"Eh?"

"These days, gods need to be more approachable. It's easier to gain faith with a friendly face rather than an imposing figure," Sanae explained. "That's why once in a while Kanako-sama would come down all the way from the mountain to meet the commoners."

"Hmm, seeing that you're also from the outside world, like me, like us," Meriko began, "that means, you used to go to school and all that?"

"Yep."

"What do you think about life in Gensokyo?"

"It's… nice," Sanae replied. "Much more exciting, with lots of things to do every day. The point is enjoying yourself. If you focused on what you missed from the outside world, of course you'll be depressed. And, yeah, life could be thrilling here. Just, don't get into more trouble than you can handle. Youkai can really kill with ease, you know."

A mental image of a headless corpse flashed in Meriko's mind. "Uh, sure," Meriko agreed.

"So what's your story? How did you get those powers?"

"Me? Nah, just some boring school girl meeting Yukari. She brought me into Gensokyo, and I suddenly found myself having powers."

"That's all?" Sanae asked.

"Yep. I'm afraid I'm not that interesting," Meriko shrugged.

"But you found powers within moments of entering Gensokyo! That means, it must be there all this time!"

"I wonder, so where are we heading?" Meriko asked, changing the subject. She knew that it's probably where they were going to stay for the night. She took out her cell phone. Ignoring the empty reception bar, she looked at the time. _Hmm, 11pm already. The battery probably won't survive for long, seeing that so far this is a world without electricity. I'll have to depend on my watch then, _she thought, using the lit screen of her cell phone to look at her watch.

"Well, we're heading to the house of an acquaintance of mine. She's a teacher," Sanae explained.

Behind them, Nick was holding off Shika by putting his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, what's your problem?" But Shika bit his hand, hard. Mercilessly. "Ow ow ow! Okay, okay, I give up, I give up!" the boy cried out.

"See, just be obedient, okay?" Shika told him, smiling sweetly at the boy nursing his hand. He would've sworn that the girl was trying to bite off his fingers.

They arrived in front of a mansion. In front of the open double doors, a lady was sitting on the floor, surrounded by piles of paperwork on a low table, working hurriedly.

"Good evening, Keine-sensei," Sanae greeted. The lady looked up.

She looked fairly young for someone with such a work pile. But her hair was silver, suggestive of an age greater than what her looks might have indicated. Her eyes were a shade of brown, while her dress was a navy blue with white short sleeves. On her head was a small and ribboned square hat with glyphs inscribed on it. A red ribbon was tied to the bottom of her collar, reminding Meriko of a school uniform.

"Good evening, Keine-sensei," Meriko and the others followed suit.

"Ah, evening, Sanae," the lady replied pleasantly. "So, these are the outsiders you and Ran told me of?"

"Yes," Sanae affirmed.

"Fuumi Meriko, pleased to be of your acquaintance," Meriko greeted with courtesy. For some reason she got a feeling that this lady here was someone who was best treated with great respect. She looked like a young woman barely twenty, and yet there was an all-knowing air around her that made her felt like someone who was more than what meets the eye.

"Sonoyuki Shika, pleased to meet you."

"Nick Evans."

"Well, come in, come in!" Keine beckoned. She pushed aside her low worktable, and invited them inside. "Sorry, I was slightly preoccupied. You won't believe what some of those young ones answered in their history exam. It's the Takatsukasa family, not Karakasa!" she said, disappearing into a room.

"Ehehen," Meriko gave an awkward chuckle, taking a seat round a Japanese table.

Nick brushed the dirt off his feet. Shika gave him a pat on the head for lending her his shoes, but to Nick, that pat felt more like mockery than appreciation.

Sanae sat between her and Meriko, while sitting slightly apart from the twintailed girl was Nick.

Keine appeared with a tray of a traditional Japanese tea set. Pouring green tea into the cups and taking a sip from her own, Keine began the conversation. "So, the Youkai of Boundaries herself brought you in to Gensokyo, even going so much as to introduce you to Sanae and me?"

"It seems that way," Meriko agreed.

"That's very unusual," Keine replied with a frown. "Outsiders drifting into Gensokyo were often left to be eaten by youkai. But then, you didn't drift. Yukari brought you in herself."

"Ehehen, beats me either," Meriko continued.

They continued chatting for a few moments, Meriko recounting her experience while skilfully avoiding explaining why Yukari attacked her. Instead she made it sound like Yukari was trying to test her.

"Hmm, as far as I know, that Yukari usually has something in that youkai mind of hers," Keine deduced. "She probably has underlying motives. She must be thinking that you can be someone who will be useful. I wonder what plans she has in mind."

"But I think she's kinda powerful," Sanae pointed out.

"Yukari? Of course. She's been around since the era of-,"

"No, I mean Fuumi-san here," Sanae corrected. "She could summon flames and danmaku within moments of entering Gensokyo."

"Gensokyo _is_ about danmaku," Keine told her audience. "But for her to have realized that potential within moments of entering is unusual. But Ran, Yukari's shikigami, in exchange for some tofu, she told me that Yukari thought that the human might be a nice addition to the balance of Gensokyo."

"Me?" Meriko's heart skipped a beat. "Is it me?"

"Perhaps," Keine shrugged. "It could be anyone of you three. Do you two have any abilities out of the norm?"

"So far, no," Nick replied.

"Maybe soon, who knows?" Shika said brightly.

But Meriko knew that Nick and Shika wouldn't be in Gensokyo in the first place if it wasn't for her. So, the possibilities were still pointing at her. She wondered if this meant the start of her being a player in an intricate web of the balance between forces. Who knew what kind of forces dominated Gensokyo. It would be best to remain neutral for the moment.

"Well, I wonder where you all can fit in," Keine continued, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Somehow you'll still have to work to make a living. Don't worry, usually it's not much."

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled.

"Work?" Nick asked.

"Usually a man has to support the ladies, right?" Shika pointed out, making Nick sigh heavily. Again. He had a feeling that things won't end up very good for him. Those two girls were being much, much meaner here than at school.

"Well, maybe you can help me at my shrine. You can live there too," Sanae offered. "I can even help you train your abilities!" she added with excitement.

"Maybe, not yet," Meriko gently refused. "I'll stay here in the village for a while." For some reason, she gave that refusal instinctively. Somehow shrines made her feel uneasy. It was always that way since she was small. Maybe it's from the influence of her past experience with her bothersome relatives from the Obimichi Shrine. But then, each time she was in a shrine, she would feel uneasy, like something unpleasant was stirring in her heart.

"Meriko, my family is Christian, but… there's nothing wrong with that. She wants to help," Nick pointed out.

"Thank you very much for the offer, Sanae, I'll really really consider it," Meriko replied pleasantly. "Besides, anytime soon we might change our mind."

"Never mind, you're always welcome," Sanae replied courteously. "The doors of Moriya Shrine are always open for guests."

"Um, well, pardon me, can I get back to my work? It's really a bother, I'm sorry, but don't worry. If you need anything, just tell me," Keine stood up. "And, oh yes, I'll try to convince a friend of mind to show you around tomorrow. Do you need a wardrobe change?"

"Yes, please," Meriko and Shika replied in unison.

"Yes," Nick answered with relief.

"Sorry, I don't have boys' clothes, I'm afraid I'll have to call in the tailor first thing in the morning tomorrow. For now, I think you girls can borrow some of mine."

"Thank you very much for your trouble," Meriko replied courteously.

Beside her, Shika yawned widely. She quickly covered her mouth, "Sorry."

"Well, girls, you can sleep in that room over there. And, Nick, you can sleep in that other room. Just don't touch the papers and scrolls there, I'd painstakingly arranged them in chronological order, and I'm still letting the ink on some of them to dry."

"Yes, of course," Nick replied with a bow, gratefulness apparent from his expression.

"But be careful! Nick here is a pervert! He even insulted Meriko's figure," Shika spoke with a devilish grin. "He called her, ahem, you know what I mean."

"Eh, shush! Eh… ehehen, yeah, he did," Meriko had to agree, slightly regretting that she made that accusation before. "Boys these days."

"Yes, boys these days," Sanae repeated with a bowed face and a sigh.

"No, no, I'm innocent, I'm innocent!"

But Keine was already looming over Nick menacingly, her face shadowed and a red glint sparkling in her eyes.

"You guys are evil," Nick muttered under his breath.

BUMP.

A sickening bump as Nick got a firsthand experience of the most famous headbutt in Gensokyo, the legendary educational headbutt of Kamishirasawa Keine.

It felt as if a library of bookshelves fell on his head, which, metaphorically speaking, was what Keine's brain really was. That might explain the unusually heavy ram, as every unfortunate student of hers could attest.

All three winced just from imagining the pain. Meriko would've sworn that she could feel the ground vibrate. Sanae was suddenly reminded of one of Kanako's onbashiras. Shika… she just giggled.

One moment of silence for Nick Evans.

* * *

_[Start of Background Music: PCB Stage 3 Theme The Doll Maker of Bucuresti]_

The blonde-haired girl ran across the twisted landscape, her arms wrapped around a large black book she kept close to her chest. Panting with every step, she turned around to look behind her, and her green eyes froze with fear.

"Quick, quick, quick, there's not much time, ahhahha!" a harsh voice cried out after her, as a black shadowy shape appeared, growing larger at an alarming rate. It appeared like some demonic mutated rabbit, big enough to eat her alive. Then there was a disturbing ticking sound, as if counting the time she had left.

Whimpering in fear, she ran for her life. She felt helpless, and running was somehow the only thing that came to her mind. Suddenly the chasing rabbit stopped, but instead it seemed to hop aimlessly while staying at the same spot, like a manic dance. The creature let out an echoing manic laugh.

The twisted landscape seemed to defy logic, as even distance seemed distorted here, like reflections in a curved mirror. The sky was a sickening crimson, while underneath, there were dark regions scattered unevenly.

And out from two of the dark areas, two figures came out. One was a fat bumbling lady with a grotesque, ugly face dressed in deathly white, while another was a tall and spindly lady in a shade of red darker than blood, her face doll-like and pale. Both looked more like grotesque monsters than humans.

The white one spoke, her voice an insane cackle, "Ooh! The little one! Ehehe! Are you White?"

The red one extended an arm ending in a spindly clawed finger and touched the girl's shoulder. The girl retreated in fear, noticing the red stain that the fingers left on her blue dress.

"No, she's not White, she's mine, she's Red!"

"Now, now, don't lie to the White Queen! Tell me you're White!" the lady in white bounced on her disgustingly flabby belly.

But then the lady in red caught the girl between her long spindly fingers and turned her around. The girl shook in fear. "No, White Queen, she's not White, she's not even Red! She's neither! She must be Black!"

"And she's a little lady!" the White Queen declared in a revolting tone, sounding like someone barfing.

"Not a Queen then, not a Queen yet!" the Red Queen chanted.

"Princess! Ahahahahaha! Princess! Come to Mama!" the White Queen cackled.

"No, she's mine! She's mine!" the Red Queen contradicted, her voice pompous, cold and carrying an air of cruel superiority.

"Off with her head!" the White Queen declared in her most revolting voice, making the girl's stomach churn.

"Off with her head!" the Red Queen repeated, her version sounding like a voice of cold scorn. Then she chanted, "Off with her head, and she shall be bloody red! Off with her head, and we'll paint her rosy red!"

"Noooooo!" the White Queen howled. Then she chanted in a hideous voice, "Off with her head, and let out the fluid from inside! Off with her head and bloodless, she will turn white!"

Right now, the White Queen's flabby fingers, like pale clammy sausages were wrapping themselves around the girl's neck. "Noooo!" the girl moaned in fear. Tears filled her eyes.

Then shackles appeared out of nowhere, binding themselves around her wrists and ankles. The horizon suddenly shifted, as she felt as if gravity itself had changed direction 90 degrees, but a cold surface made of steel touched her back, the shackles binding her onto the flat surface.

The two queens continued with their hideous maddening chant, their voice rising into a frenzy. They only repeated the same lines over and over again, but each repetition sounded less sinister than the next.

"_Off with her head, and she shall turn bloody red! _

_Off with her head, and we'll paint her rosy red!"_

"_Off with her head, and let out the fluid from inside! _

_Off with her head and bloodless, she will turn white!"_

The girl wanted to scream, but her jaws were locked in fear. No voice would come out. Her limbs were all frozen in place, gripped by cold shackles. Her heart felt like caving in soon from the immense terror.

Then a huge silhouette, as large as a hill appeared. It was a doll with long blonde hair and a blank expression, with eyes like a chameleon's. Its jaws were hinged like a ventriloquist's puppet. It opened its gargantuan mouth, large enough to swallow the girl whole. Instead of rows of teeth, a pair of guillotine-like blades jutted out from the jaws, the obscene taint of caked blood still visible on the steel.

"No…" the girl cried with tears in her eyes. The jaws closed in on her, the cold sensation of sharp steel met her throat…

"NOOOO!"

_[End of Background Music]_

Alice Margatroid woke up from her sudden dream and cried. That was the worst nightmare she ever had for a long time. The friendly faces of her dolls lined by her bed, leaning against the wall, comforted her as if assuring her that it was all just a dream.

_But how can I sleep if I'll return to that dream again? Didn't I take the pill already?_

She reached towards her bedside, and poured out some pills from a bottle.

'_Butterfly Dream Pill: For a night of pleasant dreams. An out of this world recipe, guaranteed!' _was written on the label.

Then, hoping that her next dream would be a pleasant one, she sank into the mattress again.

* * *

_I did it! I completed zis' chapter! Aw, poor Alice. And… poor Nick? Still, one might prefer Keine-sensei's headbutt over Kanako's onbashiras. Heh. Maybe. It's hard to guess which one hurt more._

_Teaser: What does morning have to bring for them?_


	8. What The Night Left

_Hi again. I'm still recovering from the blow jet lag dealt me, with 24 hours of travel, 14 in plane. And I wrote this on paper. Don't expect too much._

* * *

"_The worst thing before a nightmare is_

_You didn't know you're going to have it._

_The worst thing during a nightmare is_

_You didn't know if you'll ever return from it._

_The worst thing after a nightmare is_

_You didn't know if you'll somehow return into it." - The Black Princess _

* * *

**Chapter 8: What the Night Left**

She could only stare as the village burned before her very eyes. But she couldn't do anything. She couldn't even lift a finger.

When she woke up to the sounds of screams just now, she found herself pinned by an overwhelming pain, so much that it hurt. Everything from below her shoulders was caught under the wooden remains of a collapsed building. Her position only allowed her to watch while enduring the pain of futility as she tried to move her limbs. They didn't even budge an inch.

But what were far worse were the howls of the villagers. One, probably a woman, was shrieking in unimaginable pain while her upper body was enveloped in fierce flames, her features shrouded by the inferno, her limbs flailing sickeningly in indescribable agony. Suddenly her screaming ended and the body fell face down with a thud, smoking as the fire shrouding her started to die. But it revealed something far worse: The revolting sight and smell of an appallingly burnt corpse, the smoking half-burnt limbs still twitching.

Being pinned under the caved in structure, she felt like throwing up. But that was just one unfortunate victim.

"Senseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeei!" a boy screamed at the top of his lungs, his wail turning to hysterical sobs. "Mooooommyyyyyyyyyyyyy! It huuuuuurrrtttsss!" tears were flowing like rivers from the innocent boy's face. She felt like her heart was wrenched by cruel pliers. She knew that boy! He was just eight years old! And there he was, his face deathly pale, as he was being impaled by a broken pillar, the splintering part piercing through his abdomen, pinning him to the ground.

And those were just two examples. All around, more and more villagers were screaming, many finding their deaths in ways that blew apart the imagination.

Gruff voices taunted and jeered at her.

"Were-hakutaku!" In front of her, dark figures crowded around her, making the fear in her rise even further. "Your village looks magnificent, no?" She looked up, but with their backs to the fiery mayhem, she couldn't discern any of their faces. "Before doing in with you, we have presents!"

A pile of heads and chopped limbs dropped over her, the feeling of something slimy falling on her neck making her wanting to cry out in horror. The blood was still flowing from many of them, horribly close to her face, and she was face to face with one of the heads, while many others were strewn all around. She recognized them all!

She tried to scream, but her jaws somehow won't move, while gruff hands went to her neck and shoulders…

* * *

BUMP.

That's the second time that night Nick received a headbutt from Keine. The dazed boy fell backwards with a thump, his mouth open without even having time to let out a gasp of pain.

It took Keine a few long seconds before realizing that she was back on the verandah surrounded by piles of paper and that the nightmare wasn't real. Her knees trembled and gave way. Tears leaked out as she pressed her hands on her face, mumbling desperately, "_It was all a dream…"_ with sobs and gasps interrupting her every sentence. _"It was all just a dream…" _She felt like being in the dream herself. It was too vivid.

Nick, after his vision came to focus, quickly sat up and apologized. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb you!"

Keine rubbed her eyes and threw him a quizzical look. Then, after a few moments of awkward silence, she spoke, "No, isn't it me who's supposed to be sorry? When I thought back about it last night, I… I wasn't supposed to… headbutt you like that. Maybe I wasn't thinking properly at that time. It's not like you really… did anything… and you're a guest!" then she added as an afterthought, "Well you did say perverted things, so you… deserved it… a bit."

"The girls set me up," Nick muttered under his breath. Then, curious, he asked, "Keine-sensei, did you have a nightmare… too?"

Keine stared at the boy. The boy was wearing black jeans and a grey long-sleeved shirt, obviously apparel from the outside world. Keine realized that it must've been very late, as all the other houses were already dark with only the verandah of her house being the last one to be still lit. Cicadas cried a deafening cacophony, filling every pause in their conversation. "Too?" Keine replied, her tone somewhere between an answer and a curious question.

"Ahaha," Nick chuckled. "Well… I had a nightmare too, Sensei, that's why I'm awake. Probably just a coincidence. The girls are sleeping fine."

"So, Nick Evans, is it?"

"Yes?"

"Queer name. Is that Japanese?" the teacher asked.

"No. my parents are from America."

"Hmm, but I've known youkai with queer names, though, like that puppeteer in the Forest of Magic." Keine returned to marking papers, but seeing one of the papers having the ink blotched by something that looked suspiciously like drool, with a sharp jerk of her arms, she quickly covered said paper with another.

Nick tried his hardest to pretend that he didn't notice. Two headbutts were way more than enough for one night.

"Ahem," Keine cleared her throat, making it clear that Nick's attempt failed. "The outside world must be a very big place. Imagine all the history of the entire outside world. It must have needed thousands, if not millions of historians like me and Hieda to fully appreciate them. Gensokyo is fairly small and relatively young given the very long history of mankind, and yet, here I am, overwhelmed by materials and information." She sighed while continuing marking the papers. "My students. Even the ridiculously simplified version overwhelms more than half of them already. I thought I repeated to them the importance of history many, many, many times already."

"Yes," Nick answered, looking thoughtful. Despite guessing that the teacher repeated the importance of history too much that it became boring, he supported her view. "History is life itself, the summarized life story of humanity as a whole. Failing to learn from its mistake, humanity will repeat its blunder again and again. My great-grandmother, for example, she narrowly escaped the Holocaust. And yet, here we are again, in the 21st century, with wars and bloodshed still happening on a daily basis."

"Looks like the outside world also has it hard, eh? And I thought here we are in Gensokyo, where humans need to be always careful of the threat of youkai," Keine said, while putting a large "X" over an essay with scratch-like handwriting. Noticing Nick's frown, she said, "This boy here, I had to give him a quadruple headbutt before he finally did all his unfinished homework, in one day. Talk about being thick-skulled."

_Even if you deserved it, I feel for you, boy, _Nick thought.

"So, why did you wake me up?" Keine asked without looking up from marking the papers.

"Uh…" Nick began. "Sorry, Sensei, I… You were moaning in your sleep. And you were having cold sweat all over your forehead." _And you drooled a lake over an unfortunate student's test paper. _Nick refrained from adding that last bit.

"Humph," Keine pouted, as if guessing what Nick had in mind. "This hot summer night made me doze off. And it was just a nightmare." _Aw, I messed up! _The teacher thought. _And right on my best student's essay! How will I explain that stain to her… and she even looked up to me as the ideal teacher! _"Ha! I'll just hide the history and the stain will be invisible!" she exclaimed before realizing that she had said her thoughts aloud. Then she coughed, her face flushed. "Ahem. Sorry, I was thinking of completely unrelated matters."

Nick might not understand the part about hiding history in its true meaning, but the word "stain" gave away what Keine was talking about. "Uh, Sensei, don't you think you're a little bit overworked?" he asked as politely as he could.

Keine gave him a cold stare. "Fine," she gave way, putting on a tired smile. "Here's the scheme for the marking, and here's the student papers. Finish them before sunrise. I'll do something lighter on my mind, like translating these scrolls from the Heian era into contemporary Japanese." After passing said papers to Nick, she focused her attention to a very old piece of parchment.

"Uh… that… is light?" Nick couldn't help asking.

"Yes. Heian era Japanese is easier to understand than my student's handwritten Japanese."

* * *

Meriko woke up. She looked out of the window. A faint transition of color tones was visible on the sky, the sign of approaching dawn. She smiled. Her entire being was excited realizing that it was her first morning in Gensokyo. It might be the beginning of an entire life being spent here in this uncanny world.

She was just about to sit up when she nearly jumped out of her blanket in surprise. Something tried to creep round her waist. Rolling aside, she yanked off the covers.

_I knew it, _she thought. Shika was curled underneath like a child. Meriko was about to give the girl a gentle kick, telling the girl that her futon was over there, but then Shika trembled and moaned faintly.

"Mama… Nee-chan…"

Only then Meriko realized that the girl was all drenched in sweat. _Probably for sleeping completely underneath the blanket, in summer. _My_ blanket._

"Mamaaaa! Nee-chaaan!" Shika moaned even louder, making Meriko step back in surprise. At times, seeing someone sleep talking while having a nightmare could be disturbing. Especially when you're alone with the moans. While it was still dark.

"Eh… Shika…"Meriko touched the girl's shoulder.

"Mama! Nee!" Shika even had tears from the corners her eyes.

"Shika!" Meriko shook the girl.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shika suddenly went berserk, her eyes red, her expression deranged, slashing at Meriko with her nails. But Meriko reflexively caught the hands by the wrists. The girl struggled even more violently, forcing Meriko to let go and retreat.

"Shika it's me!" Meriko half-shouted.

The girl she addressed then broke into sobs and succumbed into tears. Meriko was beyond alarmed. She had never seen Shika behave that way.

Deciding to be sympathetic, Meriko sat and approached her. Shika suddenly threw her arms around her and started to cry profusely on Meriko's shoulder. "Meri… Meriko…" the girl spoke between sobs, her voice sounding cracked. " "I… I saw it… I saw her…"

Feeling hot tears on her shoulder, Meriko comforted, "Shika… it was just a dream… It was not real…" Meriko hugged the girl tight and stroked her head. "I'm here… We're safe… You're okay, Shika-chan, you're okay… You're fine, Shika-chan, you're fine…"

"I saw _her!_" Shika exclaimed in horror, her eyes wide. _"She's calling me! Onee-san's… My sister's hanging corpse!"_

Meriko paled. For over two years she had known Shika, the girl never told her she had an older sister, living or dead. Shika continued to cry like a little child, her arms wrapping around even tighter.

"I… I never told this to you… Meriko…" Shika continued, still sobbing. "I never did… but… when she used to live… she… she used to look like _you!"_

That made Meriko even paler. Staring into empty space, she suddenly felt like being watched. She fancied glimpsing a passing flash of white and staring eyes on the window, but when she looked at it, it disappeared. At first, she was sure she saw it, but then she quickly dismissed it as imagination.

Outside, it was still dark.


	9. What The Morning Brought

_Hi again people! Somehow I found everyday life chapters tougher to write than tense life-threatening ones. Weird, right? That's one of the things that made Sanguine Insanity Crescendo a much more challenging project than Scorching Summer Disappearance. _

* * *

_I walk among the humans, and they're so pitiful,_

_So weak and fragile, so pitiful_

_So dull and monotonous, so pitiful_

_So petty and insignificant, so pitiful_

_So ephemeral and fleeting, so pitiful_

_Unable to escape their narrow lives and limitations, so pitiful_

_I escaped_

_But they… how can they find life beautiful?_

_I…_

_Pity fools." – The Black Princess._

* * *

**Chapter 9: What the Morning Brought**

"Waaaaake up, bag of meat!" Shika exclaimed in a childish tone, seeing the sleeping figure of Nick on the verandah. Keine was no longer there. Nick shifted uneasily but didn't open his eyes.

"Ehehen, Shika, let him sleep, he's tired," Meriko told the girl with a kindly smile. "He must be helping Keine-sensei, or he won't be asleep here amidst these piles of paper."

"Heh, trying to be on the teacher's good side, eh?" Shika scoffed. "Boys are such hypocrites. But if he's asleep, who'll make breakfast?"

"Ehehen, you don't want to taste my cooking, that's for sure." Meriko was glad that Shika was back to her usual self within moments. When she heard the girl moaning in her sleep, she nearly thought that Shika was already homesick. But it turned out to be something else completely. Then she sat down on the verandah. "Shika, are you okay?"

"I'm as okay as eeeeeever," Shika mimicked Meriko's voice, sitting down.

"Ehehen, very funny," Meriko chuckled, "Baka!" but not without a free bonk on the head.

"Ahack! Ehe," Shika didn't mind, rubbing the bump on her head.

"So," Meriko began, letting her sight fall on the village folk. Even though the sun had not fully risen, many of them were already awake. Dressed in one of Keine's blue dresses, Meriko flashed a polite smile at the passing villagers every once in a few while. Shika was garbed in a black yukata. Somehow Keine found clothes her size last night. Sanae told them all last night that she'll return home before dawn. When they woke up, she was no longer there. And they thought _they_ woke up early. But then Meriko sighed, remembering what she wanted to ask.

"So what, Master?"

"I'm very sorry to hear about your sister. What… what happened to her?"

"Oh," Shika's eyes had a glazed look when she heard the question. "Dead. Suicide. I miss her. But… the dead don't talk, right?" Despite sounding calm, her voice sounded detached and distant. "I was just six at that time."

"I wish you told me before," Meriko gazed at a gap between the floorboards. "At least I'll try to be like a sister to you."

"But… but you're my master!"

"Well, as your master, I'll do as I like, right?" Meriko replied, smiling gently. "So… how was Nick last night? Are you impressed?"

"Oh, you guessed that I was testing him?" Shika asked in disbelief.

"A master needs to know her servant's true worth," Meriko answered matter-of-factly.

"Well, the measure of a man is how he is when he is angry," Shika quipped. "I'm relieved he's not the kind to recoil much, so he shouldn't be hard to handle as a servant. Although… I think he could do with some more backbone, though."

_A measure of a man is… Then what does that make me? _Meriko thought with a grimace. _Whatever, I'm not a man. _She glanced at Nick. The boy was breathing naturally like he was in a deep sleep. "Ehehen, that's meat bun for you! Although mayyyybe I wasn't as nice as you. I cursed him silently last night."

"Ehehe… I know. How else would someone like Keine-sensei headbutt Nick, someone she had just met? Not to mention how that Sanae was also easily convinced with that… ahem… lie."

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled, but immediately followed it with a "Baka!"-and-a-bonk-on-the-head package. "Anyway, as for Nick, I wonder. Isn't it kind of cruel on him? I mean, you and I _chose _to stay in Gensokyo, unlike him. Nah, not my fault, not our fault at all. Blame Yukari for that. Oh yes, the letter! How did I forget? I told Yukari I'll send a letter to our families after a week! Perfect. With a messenger, the message will be even clearer."

"So you want to send Nick home?" Shika asked, sounding like a child asking, "Can we keep it, Daddy, please?"

"It's an option."

"But gifts are supposed to be nonreturnable!"

"Ehehen. Are humans supposed to be gifts?" Meriko answered cheekily.

"Please, let me make that choice myself."

"Okay."

"Meriko-sama, do you receive criticism?" Shika changed the subject.

"Eh? Of course, please criticize and review! Good reviews and criticisms are what pushing us towards perfection."

"Reviews?'

"Well, to me, every moment in my life is like a performance, a play, a story. A good story and act deserves reviews, right?"

"Um…" Shika began. She took a deep breath before stating with a mischievous smile, pointing with her finger, "Your dress… it's kinda loose. Over there."

A dumbstruck silence. Meriko knew Shika was joking drily. "Ehehen. I see. Thanks for pointing that out. Come here, Shika, help me fix this ribbon here." Meriko went into the house.

"Coming."

Silence.

Then there was a bump, a cry of, "It's just criticism!" followed by something sounding like someone being strangled.

Nick's eyelids fluttered. The moment of danger had passed. The information from their exchange interested him, although he did realize that he heard too much. He counted to two hundred before pretending to wake up with a yawn, only to see a smiling Meriko on the doorway. "Ehehen. Good morning, Nick."

"Good morning, Meriko, where's Keine?" he asked, making his voice sound sleepy.

"Eh? I don't know," Meriko continued in her usual sweet tone. "You know, Nick, you're up waaaaaaaaaaay earlier than you want to make us believe."

"What?"

"The topmost button of your shirt. It was unbuttoned when I talked about the sister matter."

"Eh?" Nick checked to see that the said button was not unbuttoned. "But I didn't move my arms at all! I'm asleep! It must be you or Shika!"

"Ehehen," Meriko's eyes widened. "I lied. Gotcha. You're supposed to be sleeeeeeping. How did you knoooow that? How can you say your arms didn't move? How did you know it was Shika?"

"Oh," was all that Nick could manage. Meriko's singsong statement made Nick prepare for the worst.

"You know, this is getting tiresome," Meriko said in her pleasant tone.

"Well, if _you _find it tiresome, how about me? You know, Meri, this starts to feel clichéd already."

"Don't worry, although sometimes sounding clichéd, Fate is a good author," Meriko bowed, gently putting a hand on the boy's head.

"You're not going to pull my hair or bite, right? That's too childish for Miss Class Representative."

"Nope. You're not even worth strangling. My bomb is worse than my bite."

Nick groaned. "Wait till I have my own powers. Do your worst. Wait, what, BOMB?"

"_Bomb,_" Meriko replied sweetly, in a tone that would've calmed a barking dog.

_BOOM._

The explosion blew Nick ten feet to the air and onto the street, scoring a failed landing with one arm, before back-flipping twice. Painfully.

As if that wasn't enough, Meriko took a deep breath, and shouted, sounding as if going to cry, "That's-that's… that's for touching me, you-, YOU PERVERT!" Then she stormed into the house in a realistic act of anger.

Feeling the weight of gazes and whispers of the villagers bearing down on him, Nick felt like sinking into the ground in shame.

_Shouldn't karma do something about that girl? Those girls? _Nick thought miserably. _I guess karma doesn't work when you're the devil yourself. _But then, with resolve, he made a declaration inside his head. _This means war._

* * *

Sanae landed in front of the Shinto shrine perched majestically on the mountain, with a lake nearby surrounded by wooden pillars decorated by shimenawa, divine ropes adorned with shide, paper streamers. The shrine maiden walked through the oriental archway acting as the gateway. Walking up the steep steps up the slope and entering the building itself, her mind was all set on entering her private quarters.

But there, under the shade of the shrine, waiting for her were two figures.

"Kanako-sama! Suwako-sama! Good morning."

The first one was a lady looking to be in her mid twenties dressed in a red shirt with long white sleeves matched by a long black skirt. Her thick poufy hair was a metallic sheen of dark purplish blue, while on her chest was a round mirror. She was sitting on a huge floating shimenawa (divine rope) circle decorated with streamers, the rope's defiance to gravity like a proof that she was not human. A miniature version of the shimenawa was hung around her neck, like a necklace.

The other one appeared to be a child of less than twelve years old. Her dress and skirt were eggplant-colored with white sleeves and had the imprint of green frogs on it. The most obvious feature would be her hat. The brown wide-brimmed hat had a pair of eyes perched on top of them, making the hat itself look like the head of a frog. Her knee-high socks and black shoes looked like a child's. She had her arms crossed over her chest while her head tilted in a quizzical expression, making her blonde hair touch her shoulder. Despite her childish looks, her grey eyes twinkled with intelligence beyond mortal age.

"Welcome home, Sanae," the lady, Kanako Yasaka greeted. "You did a good job. Faith is pouring in again. Humans forget. With reminding, faith is renewed."

"Thank you, Lady Kanako," Sanae replied with a bow.

"But I'm afraid we have something else to speak of. You were at the Human Village, right?"

"Yes."

"Did you sleep there last night?"

"Yes. Just for a moment though, in Keine-sensei's house. I started flying home a couple of hours before dawn, shot down two or three fairies on the way, um, well, fifty-nine, actually," Sanae replied talkatively. "It was weird. Usually I won't meet that much fairies when flying home. Well, unless when I'm out solving incidents. It's always that way."

"Well, glad that you're as hardworking as ever, Sanae," Kanako replied, her lips curling into a smile, but the half-smile showed that she was concerned about something else.

"Auu… aren't you all hungry?" the youngest girl interrupted, crossing her arms behind her hat. "Sanae, we'll discuss this over breakfast. Kanako, the pleasantries can wait. You both sound like mother and child already."

"Heh, and you sound like the family's shut-in little sister," Kanako retorted gently, a vein popping on her head. "Shouldn't you be playing with toy cars, or dolls or whatever like a good little girl?"

"Uh, Suwako-sama, Kanako-sama…" Sanae tried to stop the rising tension before it escalated into something troublesome.

"I'm not the childish one to be taunted by something like that. Besides, we have something to discuss. It's easier done over breakfast then standing over here. Seriously, Sanae is _my _child, being my great-great granddaughter and all, and even _I_ don't make that much fuss," Suwako the child voiced out. Her words sounded older than her voice and appearance indicated.

"Ufufu, she's just cranky from being wakened up from sleep," Kanako whispered to Sanae.

"Aauu… I heard that. I was the one who woke you up, remember?" Suwako complained, turning her back on them and heading to door leading to their residence. "The way you were sleeping, I could've taken away your shimenawa if I wanted and you wouldn't even notice. Not like I wanted anything to do with that weird pretzel anyways."

"Says the one with that creepy swollen dorayaki with eyes on her head," Kanako whispered in Sanae's ears.

"Aauu! I heard that, I heard that!" Suwako scolded.

A few moments later, they were safely inside the dining room, sitting round a low table, enjoying tea and manju. Receiving offerings on a daily basis made it easier to not worry about having to prepare daily meals. Food offerings from all the other shrines in the two gods' worship will appear on their shrine's altar, although once in a while, Sanae will cook to make a welcome change from the usual fruits or assorted buns and cakes.

"Geez, won't anyone offer ramen or anything?" Suwako whined, "Gods will get bored of eating the same things too! Now I miss western food."

"Never seen anyone offer those on altars, though, not even in the outside world," Kanako shrugged.

"Don't worry, Lady Suwako, I'll try my best cooking those for dinner," Sanae replied with a sweet smile.

"That's very nice of you, Sanae," Kanako complimented, while throwing a sideways glance at Suwako, "to even be considerate and entertain an ungrateful old woman's wish. Hey, ouch, watch it!"

Suwako was pinching Kanako's side while wearing an exaggerated smile and facing Sanae. "Makes me wonder why you're still single," Suwako said.

"Aw, geez, Suwako-sama, I'm still in high school if I'm in the outside world!" Sanae made an awkward chuckle, failing to hide her blushing cheeks.

"Curse those schooling systems," Suwako muttered, munching on her manjuu. "Back in my days, at 14 you would already settle down with a good husband, and at 17 you would already be happily raising up your good children. A better life if you ask me, rather than toiling in those zombie institutions. No wonder teenagers these days have their raging hormones running wild. And someone with your looks and figures… can't believe you're still single right now."

Sanae only bowed her head in silent embarrassment. Despite looking like a child, millennia-old-Suwako could really talk.

"Well, that's why Gensokyo is a welcome change, right?" Kanako consoled airily. "They don't have any of those kinds of schools in here. But then, everyone has their own idea of progress. The only one left behind would be the ones rejecting progress, like sitting frogs, watching the world change," she quipped, making Suwako snatch away in retribution the last manju which Kanako was about to take. But then, Kanako whispered in Sanae's ear, "Ufufu… Sanae-chan, are you imagining things?"

"Uh, no, not at all," Sanae replied, failing to hide her flushed expression. "Aha, I'm just tired from flying all the way here, that's all. I was about to go in my room and… regain some sleep. So, what is it that's so important?"

"You _are_ imagining things. Your nose is bleeding," Kanako whispered.

"What?" the shrine maiden ran the back of her hand over her nose. "No, no it's not, Lady Kanako!"

Ignoring Kanako's chuckle, Suwako began, "Starting from midnight last night, I received a sudden increase of prayers asking to alleviate an influx of bad dreams. I knew this was no coincidence."

Sanae sat stock still, listening with utmost concentration, stifling a yawn. She had a bad dream too last night that woke her up earlier than she wanted to. Not feeling like returning to sleep, she told a busy Keine and Nick that she was going to set off flying home.

"You had a bad dream too, dear?" Kanako asked.

"A bit," Sanae affirmed.

"What was it?"

"Uh, I'll rather not tell," Sanae muttered.

"Well," Suwako continued. "The most disturbing thing was that I found it hard to grant those wishes. Something else was blocking my will. Well, I could've tried more, _if _only they were more generous with donations and offerings."

"And it happened all over Gensokyo," Kanako added.

"Yes," Suwako agreed. "Not only humans, but also the youkai. Even the tengu and kappa. They usually don't give prayers much, but…"

"In gathering faith, fears and disasters work wonders!" Kanako quipped cheerfully. "Really, the time during and after a large scale disaster is when we gods are happiest. Usually it's during those times that we receive the most attention. Although, yeah, more work for us, and quite a bunch of people lose faith as well."

"Uh, Kanako-sama, is that really what a god should say?" Sanae asked.

"Aauu… blame it on the mortals, they're the ones making us have that mindset. What would you call a friend who'll only turn to you and remember you in times of need?" Suwako concurred. "Anyways, back to what I was saying, you don't need to be a genius to say that there must be a cause, or a culprit to this. Whatever that thing was, it even blocked my powers. Yes, I could drive it away if I tried harder, but for most cases, serves them right for not having a stronger faith in me, or for not donating or giving offerings."

"I'll tell them that next time," Sanae offered helpfully.

"But for some of them, I did drive away the evil thing's influence. Took me some effort, but whatever that thing was, it was not fighting back. It merely blocked my influence, but once I broke its barrier, it simply disappeared, probably retreating to some other plane of existence. Although, well, what do you expect? I'm the goddess of the earth, not the goddess of dreams."

"A living human, with body, mind and spirit _is _like the universe," Kanako remarked. "The body is the earth, while the mind and spirit are the heavens."

"_You _do it," Suwako said pointedly. "You're the one with the ability to create sky and all that." Then she took a long draught from her cup of tea.

"But didn't we agree that I do the sales while you do the work?" Kanako asked, but seeing Suwako's cold glare over her cup of tea, she decided to give it a try anyway. "Fine, no need to be so annoyed. You're quite crabby for a frog this morning. Are you deciding to be a crab?"

"Aauu… How many times did I say this, I'm not a frog goddess," Suwako snapped with a repressed tone of annoyance, "old hag," she muttered in her cup of tea.

"WHAT? What did you just say?" Kanako stood up with a sudden movement. "You lolicon-hag-who's-actually-older-than-me!"

"Kanako-sama! Suwako-sama!" Sanae shouted. _They say one should never tell a god what to do, but… I can't just risk the shrine being blown apart by those two, right?_

"Never mind, I'm going back to sleep. If the nightmare epidemic happens again, you do the work," Suwako stood and left the table. Her tone didn't sound hostile. Instead it sounded more like a tired request.

Sanae wondered if Suwako was being this way from a night of letting her will sweep across Gensokyo battling the nightmares of countless people, which was not exactly her field of specialization. She decided to change the subject. "Uh, Kanako-sama, do you know that there are some newcomers to Gensokyo?"

* * *

_[Background music: IN Stage 3 - Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World]_

"Well, I hope they're up already, though, I have a class to attend to this morning," Keine told the middle-aged lady walking with her.

But then an explosion ahead made the two froze. They watched from afar as Nick made an unwilling somersault through the air and landing like a crash test dummy.

"Sorry, I'll go and check what happened." She went to the boy in a jog. "Are you okay there? Nick?" she sat down beside the boy.

Dazed and in pain, Nick tried to sit up. "Those girls... I mean, that girl, Meriko, she blew me away with that weird power of hers!" But seeing Meriko ran out of the house with Shika, he quickly added, "And she framed me! She'll probably lie saying that I touched her!"

"Keine-sensei! He touched me in the most inappropriate wa-,"

"Meriko, you liar!" Nick fought back. "And you made us all think you're a nice and honest girl."

"Baka! First you touched me and then you… you call me a liar!" Meriko shouted back, sounding like on the verge of tears.

"I saw it all," Shika went to Meriko's defense. "That perverted boy was-,"

"Stop it! I know to you two it's funny and all, but stop it with the lies!" Nick shouted back. "Okay, I swear upon my honor, that you two are trying to set me up!"

That caught Meriko and Shika by surprise, like a weight falling down into their stomach. "Why you… looks like you could really play the liar's game," Meriko replied, her planned expression an intentional look of outrage. "I swear upon _my _honor that this boy touched me."

"Of course I touched you more than once already, having known you for a few months! But not in an indecent way! If you swear your innocence, use a more precise wording!"

"Gu… Why you…" Meriko grumbled. Her simple wordplay was found out. But she still maintained her outraged look, as if she was appalled by Nick's accusation. "What are you acting so righteous for?"

"Go on… say it! Let me see if you'll really sink that low just for the sake of a sick joke!" Nick pressed on, his confidence rising.

"First you touched me like the pervert you are! Then you accused me of lying!" Meriko broke into sobs.

"What do you think you're doing, huh, baka-Nick?" Shika defended. "You really made her cry!" She put a hand over the sobbing girl's back.

Nick sighed. Then, he said in a level tone. His legs shaking, he stood up. Crossing his arms, he said, "Fine, but then prove your innocence. Swear that I touched you in a perverted way. Heaven knows who the righteous one between us is. I'll see if you'll sink that low, Miss Class Representative."

_Geez, it's a check! _Meriko thought. Fighting back, Nick put her in a perilous position. _No, I won't declare checkmate yet! _So she decided to sob a little longer, then she wiped her tears away. "Sor-… sorry, now having thought about it, I was just overreacting right now. Now thinking back, how can I swear that you touched me with a perverted intention? You did say there was something on my… there. Maybe you just wanted to brush it away. Or maybe you really meant bad. You know your own intention better. I'll forgive you this one time, Nick, I will. Just. This. One. Time."

"Nick, Meriko, Shika," Keine interrupted. "You three," she addressed the trio, "come here. I'm a teacher. Let me solve this thing out. My students have these kinds of squabble all the time. Let me show you how to resolve this once and for all, okay?" Keine spoke gently.

Taking a deep breath, Nick approached the teacher and stood in front of her, head bowed. Meriko and Shika followed.

"Closer, you three, closer," Keine told them together with a gesture of her arms. Once they were in arm's reach, she said. "You know, if two parties are arguing childishly, and bickering, it doesn't matter who started it, okay?" she asked gently. "The important thing is to reconcile, right?"

Meriko let out a huff, looking annoyed. Nick gave a nod. Shika muttered, "But…"

"No buts. Reconcile. That's the way to solve a disagreement, right?"

"Right," Nick agreed.

Huffing, Meriko nodded. Shika too nodded in agreement, having no choice now seeing that Meriko had agreed on a draw.

"_And let you three start another quarrel again in the future?_" Keine shouted.

BUMP. BUMP. BUMP

All three fell backwards in a daze, landing on the street with a thump, their heads smoking.

Keine put a hand on her temple. "Kids these days…" she mumbled. "Let that be a lesson to you three. In a quarrel, ALL PARTIES ARE GUILTY!"

_I… lost… _Meriko thought in wide-eyed shock, her eyes spinning and her mouth open like an idiot. _No, it's a draw, it's a draw! _But she still felt like she just lost in something important.

Shika was at loss for words. Her head pounding, she couldn't even think of what to think in her situation.

_Success! First victory! That should teach her! _Nick thought happily, sprawled on the ground. Even if the situation looked more like a draw, the pain gave him a fierce pleasure, like a sense of achievement. He knew the headbutt hurt Meriko more than it hurt him. He guessed that the girl was one that couldn't stand humiliation. A hurt pride hurt more than a hurt head. Being the first one to recover, he crawled to the girls, wincing while trying to bear the pain, "Don't worry, I'll be a good servant. Just treat me fairly, okay?" he whispered, enjoying the mixed expression on the girl's faces. Then he stood, knees shaking and staggering slightly.

"Go away and die already," Meriko muttered grudgingly, still too dazed to stand up. She wondered if she should cry. It may make her appear to be the wronged party, but to Nick that might also look like she was wailing in defeat. She was not going to give that boy that pleasure. Ever.

_[End of background music]_

A few moments later, Keine introduced them to the middle-aged lady, who was a tailor. Inside Keine's house, the tailor soon went to take their measurements, Nick volunteering to be the first as he was still wearing his original clothes since last night.

Just as the tailor was about to take Shika's measurement, Meriko gave Nick a bonk on the head and chased him out of the house while the girls had their measurements taken. Despite the clash they had a few moments before, Nick did not protest. Instead, he just said "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Taking Meriko's measurement with a measuring tape, the lady clicked her tongue every once in a while, making the girl feel uneasy. "Uh, anything wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, taking the measurements of you two makes me wish I am as young as you are," the lady said. "Pretty decent young ladies you two are, even if Miss Sonoyuki there lacks height and you, Miss Fuumi, are slightly too thin that you have a slight lack of womanly figure. How old are you?"

"F-fourteen?" Meriko answered reluctantly, blushing so much that she was sure even her ears were red. The lady would mutter the measurement every time she finished measuring a part of the body.

"Don't worry, plenty of time for you two to grow," the lady continued while measuring Meriko's waist. "Believe me, in just two or three years, you'll probably have suitors already. Maybe even earlier."

"Th-thanks," Meriko replied, more out of courtesy. She was uncomfortable with what the tailor was talking about. She was only a middle school student.

Meriko was beyond glad when it was all over. Scribbling down the measurement on a piece of paper, the tailor then went to talk to Keine.

"Ehehe, I remember all your measurements, master," Shika whispered.

And Meriko dragged her into a room and strangled her again.

After the tailor returned to wherever her workplace was, they later had breakfast over the table, a simple serving of rice with tamagoyaki (rolled omelets) and tsukemono pickles.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Keine-sensei" Meriko said to her host.

"Eh? It's nothing, really. You all are guests," Keine replied. Even while eating she was reading. This time it was a rolled scroll with a nearly illegible script. "Meriko, just now when you blasted Nick away, you were using danmaku, right?"

"Eh? Um… yes. I made sure it wouldn't harm him, though," Meriko answered, sounding nervous.

"You know, if you made a mistake, you could've killed him," Keine stated in a matter-of-factly way. On her left, Nick gave a lop-sided smile.

"Um, sorry," Meriko apologized, trying to sound guilty.

"I figured out that you would need someone to teach you how to control danmaku," Keine continued. "Powers alone is never a good thing without the ability to control it. In fact it's worse than having no powers at all. That's why I went to ask a friend of mine to help. Luckily she's free, although, yes, she is free most of the time. In fact, one could say she has all the time in the world. But the hard part was convincing her. I told her that someone like you could've been a big help in defending the village when need comes to be. At least I'll not be alone anymore. What do you think?"

"Uh… sounds interesting," Meriko answered. She wondered if her life in Gensokyo will lead her to be a defender of the Human Village. _Never mind, learn first, and decide your path later._

"Can I join too?" Nick asked. "Who knows? Maybe I actually have powers of my own? Then as a servant I could protect my little master here," he half-joked.

"Humph," Shika responded. "I doubt it. You don't have the imagination." But then she added as reconsideration, "But, even if you have powers, you still have to obey me, remember that!"

Nick chuckled. He could guess that Shika was nervous herself.

"And Meriko'll make sure of that!" Shika added as reassurance.

"Ehehen, of course. I'll make sure my shikigami's shikigami acts like a shikigami." Meriko assured.

"Hmm, I wonder, I hope she arrives soon, I need to get to class," Keine mused.

A knock on the door. "Keine-san, are you home?" a voice called out from the door.

"Ah, there she is!" Keine got up, sounding relieved. She went to the door and slid it open.

A girl with ankle-length silvery hair was standing in front of the doorway with her hands on her hips. Over her head was what appeared to be a big ribbon, which on closer inspection turned out to be a large red and white paper charm. She was wearing a brown shirt and dark red trousers with shoulder straps. Red and white paper charms were stuck randomly on the trousers like irregular decorations. Suddenly her eyes widened, the girl muttering "Wait, what is – oh," she cut short her exclamation of surprise. "For a split second I thought it's Kaguya. No, Kaguya looks different and has longer hair. So, you're the newcomers from the outside world?"

"Yep," Nick replied.

"Ehehe," Shika grinned.

"Yes, pleased to meet you, Miss…?" Meriko inquired.

"Fujiwara no Mokou," the girl at the door replied. "Well, um, after this we'll practice. Can… can I…" she put a hand over her stomach.

"Feel free to join us, Mokou," Keine invited with kindly smile.

"Thanks."

* * *

_[Background Music: __東方 __[Piano] Necrofantasia]_

"So, that's a part of my plan for that human girl Meriko. You'll execute those parts that I've told you. And… Ran, did you feel anything last night?" Yukari asked her shikigami.

The kitsune shuddered. "Well, I was asleep for a bit, and I fell into a nightmare," she answered. "N-no, I just took a brief nap, because, you know, most of the time I have to do my work by day when you're asleep, Lady Yukari."

"What did you find?" Yukari continued.

"There was… something. Something seems to be the cause of these dreams. I made a magic barrier around myself before sleeping, and when I woke up from the nightmare, it was already broken. Something broke it. But whatever it was, it was… gone."

"Wasn't Chen having a nightmare too?"

"Yeah…" Ran answered, looking concerned. "And even the fairies. Many of them came out last night, being unable to sleep themselves."

"It actually happened across all Gensokyo. The border between dreams was breached. Something was playing with dreams," Yukari concluded. "And that something looked like it was gathering fear. If it feeds on fear, then it should've been very powerful already."

"So… what do you think, Lady Yukari?"

"Perhaps it's a youkai. We need to be prepared for the worst. Something feeding on the greatest amount of fear possible from every person across Gensokyo… What could possibly be that greedy and ambitious? It's like a god having the faith of every single people in Gensokyo. Whatever it is, if it's that powerful, it's probably strong enough to defeat even me. It might even be strong enough to destroy Gensokyo."

"But you often put yourself at a level of power that could be defeated, Yukari-sama," Ran pointed out. "Like the time that human defeated you after the endless winter."

"Ran, I'm really worried."

That statement caught the kitsune by surprise.

* * *

**So, how do you like this chapter? I hope I don't disappoint. For the sake of my motivation, please review!**

**So with this, the main events are put into motion! If this is something that would make even Yukari really worried…**

**Teaser: Was Meriko the only one with powers?**


	10. Two Offers

_Well, you know, when writing, one of my biggest peeves would be a limited internet connection, even if said internet connection was fast enough to help me open the wiki. Why? I need to search for the best background music to fit in with some of the situations. And of course, to pick the best, one will have to listen to a lot of them, so… it's kind of a work in itself, although, not to say that I was not enjoying it. And right now, my internet connection somehow does not allow me to open Youtube, so I had to do with using another less convenient internet source. Which was not that fast anyway. _

* * *

"_I used to fear of not being able to protect_

_Myself and my little friends around me_

_But now I do not fear and do not protect_

_Because without the desire to protect there is no fear in reality, _

_The dread of losing is fear_

_Dread of losing something or someone near_

_Even if it is one's own self_

_For fear of dying is fear of losing the self_

_One who loves nothing has nothing to fear_

_Because without love there is no fear of loss_

_Fear of loss comes from holding something dear_

_So, without fear my heart is as cold as frost." – The Black Princess _

* * *

**Chapter 10: Two Offers**

_[Background Music starts: Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke / Mokou's Theme by DauGe][Note: music is played faintly at the edge of hearing as to not disrupt the peaceful mood]_

Meriko was the first to finish her meal. "Thank you for the meal," she spoke. Then she got up and left the table.

Shika was looking thoughtful. She guessed that her master was feeling very excited about something because she ate at such a lively speed. Meanwhile, she noticed that Nick seemed to be very collected, as if he was contented. But then she knew that Nick was that kind of person. She frowned, wondering if somehow Nick will later act as if he is the most mature one among them three. _He'll probably show off, like he did just now._ Keine was looking preoccupied reading, her chopsticks missing the tamagoyaki half the time. Then Shika let her gaze fall on Mokou the newcomer. The silvery-haired girl had a thoughtful look on her face, and her expression was one of detachment, somewhere between boredom and a subtle sorrow. Shika wondered what kind of person their coach was going to be. Mokou's dark red eyes had a distant but piercing look in them. But then the eyes focused their gaze at her.

Shika gulped. "Ehehe," she giggled.

"What?" Mokou asked.

"You got a tiny bit of pickle between your teeth."

"Oh," Mokou replied, her expression unchanging. She turned to her right, putting a hand over her mouth, and a puff of smoke escaped between her fingers. Shika and Nick only watched wide-eyed.

Meanwhile, Meriko stood on the verandah. Deciding to walk round the house to see what kind of place she was in, she put on her shoes and checked out the right side of the residence. But suddenly her nape prickled. She had the feeling like she was being watched.

_Meriko... who are you…_

She imagined that she heard the voice, but she dismissed it as just that, a figment of imagination. She was sure that she did not hear the whisper with her ears, but inside her head.

_Who am I…_

She turned round, and fancied that she saw a passing flash of white and glaring eyes that disappeared in less than a second. She retreated in shock, her heart hammering wildly, but her foot tripped against the ground and she fell backwards, landing hands first. Keine was standing there, looking at her curiously.

"Uh, Meriko?" Keine spoke. "Did I startle you?"

"Ehehen, just a bit," Meriko replied dismissively, smiling. "I was just looking around."

"I wonder, I think I have a proposal for you," Keine held out a hand which Meriko gladly took. The teacher pulled her up and continued, "which might solve your need for making a living in the Human Village."

"Eh? Oh."

"Not everyone could produce danmaku," Keine went on. "In fact, most humans do not possess that ability. But Gensokyo _is _about battles, battles to survive, and battling in Gensokyo _is _about danmaku. True, I am helping the humans to understand youkai better, so peace could be maintained, but once in a while, we receive attacks on our village. Usually they are rogue youkai. Wise youkai do not attack humans in their village because they know that a human settlement is important for the human-youkai balance of Gensokyo as a whole. Now, if ever the village is attacked, that's where you come in!"

"Ehehen. So… I'll be risking my life?" Meriko asked.

"That's why we'll have you trained!" Keine continued excitedly. "Besides, you're not alone. I'm a defender of the village too! And once in a while, Mokou too. I'll discuss it with the village elders, they'll surely agree to provide you some sustenance to support you and your… friends. And, believe me, you'll get used to it. Usually the youkai attacking aren't that smart or hard to defeat. All the smart ones know better than to attack here. In fact, they'll rather come here to buy grocery or visit the flower shop than to launch an attack."

_Main points of persuasion: One, you're not alone. Two, there are rewards. Three, it's not that hard, or as dangerous as it seems, _Meriko listed in her mind. "Sounds good enough," she said gracefully. "I'll consider it. Of course, first I'll need to see if I can control my abilities."

"Yep, once you are formally the defender of the village, I'll be able to provide constant training," Keine added.

Meriko lets out a puff of air. _Did she know that I really wanted powers?_

"Well, I'm going to visit the elders this evening," Keine continued. "They're always happy to have someone helping to increase the security of the village. But then, do you agree?"

Meriko gave a wide grin. _She's cornering me. If she brings it up all the way to the elders, and I refuse, it'll make me look bad. _"Um, no, I think that won't be necessary yet," Meriko disagreed. "We don't know if I can really control my powers. In fact, it may turn out that I'll have to go through, for example, a month of practice before being fit to be put in the battlefront. So, overall, how is this village's defense?"

"It's fairly… at a sufficient level," Keine replied. "The attacks are neither very often nor too intense, but of course, it's better to be safe than sorry. Every nation knows the importance of investing in self-defense; that fact is written all over the pages of history. Besides, not many villagers have mastery over danmaku. If one of those greater youkai suddenly decided to cause trouble on us on a whim, we might be overpowered."

"I see," Meriko muttered, her expression unchanging.

"Well," Keine shrugged. "I have a class to conduct. I hope you'll make good friends with Mokou. She's a little bit of a loner, which sometimes makes me worry."

"Okay," Meriko answered in her usual sweet voice.

Later, Keine left the house, carrying a few books in her arms. Mokou was drinking tea on the verandah, her eyes gazing at the street and the people passing by.

"So, how is she?" Meriko whispered in Shika's ear.

"Mokou? Not talkative. She looks like the haughty kind. And the serious type."

"Keine said she's a loner, though," Meriko told her servant.

"I can see that."

But much to their wonder, Nick sat on Mokou's right. "So, Fujiwara-sensei, what is training going to be like?"

"I'm not Sensei," Mokou replied without even looking at him. "We'll see how you're like, then I'll tell you how's training going to be like."

"Yeah," Nick agreed, "makes sense. I'm afraid I'm not able to shoot magic bolts or those kinds of things yet."

Mokou sighs. "So, human boy, if that's the case, then why would you train if you have nothing to train in the first place?"

Nick winced as if Mokou just jabbed at him with a finger. "Ahaha, then I'll just give my best shot. Who knows, maybe I actually have it in me."

"Most humans can't summon up danmaku," Mokou continued, taking another sip from her cup. "You look exactly like one of them."

"So… Fujiwara-san," Nick continued, still wearing his friendly smile, letting his gaze fall on the street. "Any advice? Is there anything I can do if I find myself here in Gensokyo from the outside world without any special abilities?"

"Stay safe, kid," Mokou replied, the one-liner striking Nick like one of Shika's pats on the head.

Hearing the conversation, Shika suddenly felt nervous. "Meri…ko-sama," she turned to her master. "If I don't have powers, then… will I still be of use to you?"

"Ehehen, I wonder," Meriko answered teasingly.

"Waaah, I don't want to be useless!" Shika said pleadingly, her eyes beady.

"Ehehen." There's a finality in Meriko's tone that made Shika even more worried.

Later, Mokou led them out of the village into a forest.

"So… are you… a human?" Nick asked.

"Was," Mokou answered.

"Are you youkai then?" the boy asked.

"No," Mokou denied.

"You're immortal," Meriko said, making the immortal girl froze.

"How did you know?" Mokou asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Did Keine tell you?"

"Uh, no, she didn't. I… guessed. Did I guess correctly?" Meriko asked. Seeing Mokou's lack of response, she was confident that she guessed right. But it made her wonder how she could make that guess in the first place. A flash passing through her mind was all she remembered, which somehow made her know that it was the right guess. "Uh, how did you become immortal?"

Mokou continued walking. "I bet you thought that being immortal is the greatest thing in the world."

"Um, no, of course not," Meriko denied. Although she was sure she felt that way a moment before.

"Death is eternal sleep. Being immortal is like being in eternal insomnia. You'll get restless with it after a while. There are moments when you sincerely feel like wanting to sleep, to rest, knowing that you're supposed to be falling to sleep, yet you can't." Mokou continued, her voice sounding dreamy and sad. "Deciding to turn immortal was the biggest mistake in my life. It appeared to be the smartest move at that time, though. Still, why am I even bothering to tell you all this?" she stopped walking.

"Um, no, we, we underst-, I mean, of course we don't understand," Meriko spoke, her voice distant again. "But we got the idea. What happens if you are to die? Like, suffering from mortal injuries and such?"

"I don't die," Mokou let out a dark laughter. "Imagine seeing your insides spill out, complete with the pain, terrible, terrible pain, filling your head, and yet you just… won't die."

"I'm sorry," Nick said consolingly. Mokou threw him a quizzical look. "I mean, I'm sorry for you. It… must be a pain. The way you put it, does it mean you 'died' quite a few times already?"

"The last time I 'died' was just last night," Mokou shrugged, wearing a morbid smile. "That Kaguya be damned. She started it! I'll show her next time for stealing my dried persimmons!" Her rising voice caused a couple of birds to fly out of a nearby bush in alarm.

"Uh…" Nick was at loss for words. _Dried persimmons. They're so good they're worth the pain of death?_

"Ehehen. I've heard that name quite a few times already. Who's this Kaguya?" Meriko asked.

"She's a spoiled Moon princess who, I'm happy to say, got in the same pinch as me," Mokou explained. "Wait, she's the one putting me in that pinch in the first place! And, yeah, you look like her a bit that you can pass as her sister."

"Um, I see," Meriko muttered.

"Moon princess?" Nick asked.

"She's a Lunarian. I'm glad to say that she was expelled from the Moon and had to stay and rot on Earth. That should teach her not to be so high and mighty, and yet, here she is, looking down on humans," Mokou continued.

"So _that_ must be the basis for the Kaguya-hime legend!" Nick deduced. "I can't believe she actually exists! When I marked the papers last night, there was mention of her!"

"Oh yeah, you're from the outside world," Mokou drawled.

"Is she evil?" Nick asked.

"Yes," Mokou replied without hesitation. "Not to mention unpleasant. She sends assassins once in a while just to see me dying and make fun of my suffering as I'm immortal. She has a sick sense of humor."

"Uh, as long as you don't mistake me for her, we'll be fine," Meriko made a joking attempt. "But… will our lives be in danger for being close to you?"

"No… She's not the type to involve others in our private enmity. It's just between her and me. Well, I got her good many times already, too bad I lost count."

The group continued making their way through the forest. Under the daylight, everything looked green. The morning sun was rising, and that being summer, the three were already sweating on their foreheads as they made their way under the roof of foliage. The chirping of birds and the song of insects accompanied them.

"We're here," Mokou told them after nearly an hour of walking. They arrived at a clearing wide enough to play a modest game of football.

"It's kind of far away," Nick commented.

"We don't want to startle the villagers," Mokou answered, looking at Nick with her piercing red eyes and a blank expression. "It's easier to just fly here, but seeing how you're unable to…"

"You can fly?"

"In Gensokyo, nearly everyone can. That is, everyone with powers," Mokou answered patiently.

"Well, maybe you can carry us here next time?" Nick asked. But Mokou threw him a cold stare at the suggestion. "Oh, okay."

"So, who's going to start? Demonstrate. Show me what you can do," Mokou spoke in a level tone.

Meriko noticed that all this time, Shika was silent. She knew that the girl was beyond apprehensive. Maybe she was mentally trying to summon whatever that may indicate that she had powers in her all this time. Without avail, it seemed.

"Nick first," Meriko suggested. "Don't worry, he won't take long," she said brightly.

"Why you," Nick muttered. "So, what should I do?'

"Power comes from within. What is your source of power?" Mokou asked.

"Uh…" Nick faltered.

"You just jump three times and cry out 'I'm an idiot,'" Meriko suggested innocently.

An awkward moment of silence. Mokou sighed.

"Alright, alright, I'll try my best!" Nick put himself in a fighting stance, like a tae kwon do practitioner. Taking a deep breath, he swung out his arm as if in a punch. Nothing happened. "Hyargh! Hyargh!" Still nothing.

"You've no idea how silly you loooooook," Meriko teased. If it was any other time, Shika would have laughed with her if she wasn't so nervous herself. "But why would I laugh at you? It would be as cruel as laughing at a flipped tortoise."

"Geez, Meriko, stop staring, will you?"

Meriko sat on the ground, putting a hand on each cheek, gazing at the boy with an amused expression. "Nope."

"Grr, then I'll just imagine I'm going to fire at that annoying face of yours! Raaagh!" But still, nothing happened.

"Nope, your hatred must be hopelessly impotent," Meriko criticized.

"NEXT!" Mokou called him off. "Try again by yourself, and call me if anything interesting happens."

Nick groaned. Meriko gave him a pat on the head. "Yep, impotence. Well, maybe you should just jump three times and do what I said," she said brightly.

_That troll, _Nick thought gloomily. Now he was hoping with his entire being that Shika would be as unlucky as he was. Thinking that it was better to practice than do nothing, even if it seemed like a futile exercise, he set off trying to summon out whatever power that could have been stored in him.

"Shika, don't worry, you'll do great! I promise," Meriko whispered.

"You… promise?" Shika suddenly had her spirits lift slightly, even if she was puzzled herself by Meriko's words.

"I can work miracles," Meriko convinced.

"Uh…" Shika was still confused.

"Go," Mokou told the girl.

"Meri…" Shika sounded uncertain, like a little girl being asked to give a speech while not being ready in the slightest bit.

"Ehehen," was all Meriko's response. She was enjoying herself. "Time to prove your wooorth. You don't want to be useless… right?" She ended with a sinister leer.

"Uh…" Shika went into a fighting stance. After a few failed attempt, not unlike Nick, she produced nothing extraordinary.

"Ah, how boring," Meriko expressed in a provocative tone, still leering. "Maybe you really need my help. Maybe you really are nothing without me."

"Next," Mokou dismissed the girl.

"Ehehen. On the contrary… Shika," Meriko addressed the girl. Her tone changed. This time it was no longer the childlike, playful and cheerful voice she used as innocent Meriko. In fact, it sounded much more matured, like a lady with authority. Shika knew that when Meriko used that tone, she was being serious. "Will you be my shikigami?"

"I _am_ your shikigami," Shika answered without hesitation.

"And servant?"

"Yes, and servant!" Shika agreed.

"You trust in me that much?" Meriko asked, putting her hand under her own chin with an amused expression.

"Yes, and I'll obey your commands!"

"Ufufu… you've grown up to be a fine little servant," Meriko patted the girl on her head. But her voice was mirthless. "Now, declare, 'By thy grace, I borrow thy power, master,'" she spoke, her voice deliberately lowered, but the words clear enough that even Nick could hear it.

"By thy grace, I borrow thy power, master," Shika stated levelly. Then she let out a huge gasp. An orb of white light materialized in her hand, hovering like a will-o'-the-wisp.

Meriko clapped her hands in mock surprises. "Oh my, you never told me that you also have powers in you, Shika-chan! Or is it that you're borrowing my powers? No wonder it looks the same. Let it go!"

"I, I DID IT!"

Mokou watched wordlessly as Shika directed the ball flying across the field to explode against a tree trunk at the far side. "Pass!" Mokou declared. "Next!"

"Ehehen, Nick?" Meriko asked the boy, who had his face screwed in a grimace. "Of course she'll do better than you, she's your master, right? Do you want to borrow my power? I even offered it to you just now, but you just didn't want to listen."

"No way!" Nick exclaimed in horror, realizing what Meriko was implying.

"Waaaay! Say it! Say it!" Meriko taunted.

"I won't! I'll rely on my. Own. Self!"

"Ah, good luck. I wonder how many years have others tried," Meriko jeered. "Who knows, maybe you're not from the 99.9999 percent of normal humans that have no powers? There's still that one-in-a-million chance, right? I wonder if you'll grow old before your first ball of light appears. Well, given that you don't die before that."

Nick made Meriko retreat with a swipe of his arm. "You devil!"

"Ahaha! What can you do? Throw grass at me?"

"What's this…?" Mokou smacked her own forehead. "What are you guys fooling around for?"

"Well, for a shikigami, he's being stubborn," Meriko told the immortal.

"Shi… shikigami?" Mokou asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes, Shika right there, is my shikigami, and Nick here is Shika's shikigami," she explained. "Well, as you can see, Shika borrows my power, and I tried to make him borrow mine, seeing how hopeless he is on his own."

"Gah! I don't mind borrowing your powers!" Nick protested. "Just… don't. Humiliate. Me!"

Meriko put her hands on her hips. "Do you have a choice, Niku-ban?" she asked.

"I can choose to depend on my own abilities."

"Fiiiiine," Meriko answered in a singsong manner.

Suddenly Nick jumped three times, muttering something.

" I can't hear youuu…" Meriko teased. "I'm the one letting you borrow my powers, remember?"

Nick had a defeated look on his face. "I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot," he said meekly, hopping on the ground thrice.

"I can't hear you, baka!" Meriko teased. "Say it louder!"

"I knew it! You're not keeping your promise, are you?"

"I don't remember promising, but yeah, I promise to let you borrow my power this time if you would do as I told you, that is, jump three times and say, 'I'm an idiot.'"

"No."

"Bye! I'm practicing with Shika!" Meriko replied, walking away with a smug grin.

Three thumps. "I'm an idiot!"

Meriko turned round, grinning like a crocodile. And there Nick was, a ball of light in his outstretched palm.

"Why you, why is mine smaller than Shika's?"

"That's because she's your mas-," BOOM. Nick sent the ball exploding at Meriko's feet, sending her falling backwards as she tripped in surprise.

"Why you disobedient-," Meriko muttered angrily.

"That's for this moooorning," Nick smart-mouthed.

"Fine."

"Ahem," Mokou cleared her throat. "Cut this banter. I'm impressed. At least I have something to train in the first place. Next."

"Well, Nick, this is for that hint of disobedience just now," Meriko declared with a warped smile, as a dense ball of pure energy formed in her hand.

"You won't."

"I'm no longer the Miss Class Representative that you know, Nick," Meriko spoke delicately. "I am your master." She let go, the ball of energy rising to the air before turning into a blast of energy. However, it was far bigger than Meriko herself expected, with the beam of pure energy large enough to swallow a bus. Her eyes widened as the laser sped past Nick, passing him by the empty space between his head and his right shoulder. CRACKABOOM. The beam crashed onto the ground, leaving a smoking crater large enough to park a small car on it.

"You… _you're trying to kill me_?" Nick retorted in outrage. His hair and clothes were smoking. He felt like someone who closely escaped being struck by lightning.

"You're trying to kill him?" Mokou scolded coldly.

"I'm… I'm sorry!" Meriko replied apologetically. "I… I didn't imagine that… it would be that strong!"

"Even I would be badly hurt by something like that," Mokou reproached. "And I won't forgive you if you did."

Up above them, Ran closed the gap she was peeking through, leaving a hole just enough to poke her hand through. She was wondering if this was really a human worth her master's time, but that blast just now wiped away nearly all of her doubts.

Meanwhile, Meriko wondered if she was really getting stronger with every moment spent in Gensokyo. Even with Shika and Nick borrowing some of her powers plus the explosion just now, she did not feel a significant loss of energy. "Is… is that normal?"

"It's quite strong for even a powerful person," Mokou commented. "I do remember seeing a human magician's laser this large, but I don't think the amount of energy contained in that blast was the same."

"You mean, that magician's blast was stronger?"

"No. I'm not saying that you are stronger than she is, but comparing between this blast of yours and her Master Spark, I think yours is stronger in terms of sheer power. This blast must've drained quite a lot of your strength. Can you still stand?"

"Uh, I don't feel any changes at all," Meriko replied. Mokou only stared. Then she silently walked to her and put a hand on her forehead.

"You sure you're okay?" the immortal asked, pressing her own forehead against her hand. Their eyes met, and Meriko felt uneasy seeing those scrutinizing red orbs glaring at her from such a close distance.

"Y-yes, I-I don't feel like there's anything wrong at all," Meriko answered uncertainly.

"Right," Mokou continued. "Impressive display. Now, in a business, assets alone are not enough. You need to learn how to use them wisely. A huge asset does not promise that you'll be a successful businessman, even though it's a big help. The same goes for danmaku. Sheer power does not guarantee victory at all. In fact, it might even backfire. You must learn how to be able to control your powers.

"Secondly, danmaku battles involve the usage of spell cards. You need to know this system, or you'll be put at a disadvantage.

"And thirdly, nearly everyone in a danmaku battle can fly, as danmaku is usually fought midair. To be unable to fly will only make you an easy target."

_Meriko… _ Meriko felt the whisper again. And then suddenly her head hurt her. "Ack… uh, guys, I… I don't feel… so good, ehehen." She told the group. "Go on… without me. I'll be joining you all in a few minutes." She tried to steady herself. The sudden pain was hurting her head. It was throbbing mercilessly.

"But… Meriko-sama!" Shika interrupted. "Won't that make you lose even more energy? We're using your power!"

"No… Shika, believe me, I'm fine, it's not my strength, it's my… head," Meriko dismissed.

"No, you're not okay. We're not risking that," to Meriko's surprise, it was Nick saying that. "We've all seen how much power you threw away with that blast just now."

"I said I'm FINE!" she shouted.

Mokou only watched with her arms crossed. "Fine? You're not immortal so you better don't put yourself in unnecessary risk, human."

"I'm FINE!" she repeated, and swiped away with her arm. A sudden huge explosion caused even her to have second thoughts. Shika and Nick retreated with alarmed looks on their faces. The unintentional release of danmaku missed them, but the way it made a tree trunk snap and fall with a crash was beyond disturbing. A blinding flash of light filled Meriko's mind, followed by a sharp pain. "I… I need a time out, ehehen."

She sat down, and still not feeling well enough, she let herself lie down on the cool grass. Her other three companions threw quizzical looks at her. "No, really! There's no need to look that concerned!" Meriko tried to dismiss their worries. "I'm…" but then without warning, her consciousness was gone.

_[Background Music paused]_

Black.

Darkness.

She fell into a confused dream. _Meriko… _a whisper sounded. But then that's all. She woke up without remembering even the slightest shred of the dream.

_[Background Music resuming, faint as before]_

"Meriko!" a voice called out. Her eyelids jerked open like windows. It was Nick. "Huh, see? It's my voice that wakes her up, not yours."

"What are you trying to prove?" an annoyed Shika disputed. Meriko found her head resting on the girl's lap.

"That you're not as special to her as you thought you are," Nick deduced. "And for her to rather wake up to her enemy's calling, heh."

"Aw, shut up!" Shika protested.

"Where's Fujiwara-san?" Meriko asked, trying her best not to make her voice sound panicky, faint or drowsy.

"Ah, there she is!" Nick sprinted towards the figure with fiery red wings landing onto the clearing.

"Wait, baka!" Shika cried out after him. "Don't even think about doing that!"

"Too late!" Nick replied brightly, as he took the bucket from a startled Mokou. "Wake up, bud of leek!" and emptied the contents of an entire bucket of water over the two.

"Waaaaaah!" Shika cried out, shielding her master from the worst of the assault.

"There, better already?" Nick replied brightly.

"You bad servant! Sit down! I said, sit down!" Shika roared at him, all dripping wet.

"What can you do? Throw grass at me?" Nick taunted. "Ah well, I guess to me it's all forgiven now. Your score is settled. I'm not one to bear deep grud-," BOOM. A blast of concentrated energy from Meriko's hand missed his head by inches, "-ges."

Meriko sat up and started to cough. She was spluttering from having a bucket of cold water thrown over her. "Baka!" she said, coughing. _Boys will be boys._

"Master, are you alright?"

"Ehehen, yes I am," Meriko gave a sweet smile, tilting her head. "And I never felt so… much… _better._" Wings of shadow grew out of her back, and she lifted up to the air, defying gravity with a wide grin on her face. Even Mokou was shocked. Like Yukari the night before, white projectiles made of light started to materialize all around her, hovering maliciously. "I wish you good luck with my bullets, Nick!"

"It's just a joke! I got it worse from you two!" Nick complained. "Ahaha," he chuckled nervously, "you can't possibly get irrelevantly mad from something as simple as that, right, Fuumi-san?"

"Of course I'm not mad," Meriko replied in her sweet voice. "Ehehen, why would you think I'm going to be mad? I'm not mad in the slightest bit!" Nick turned tail long before Meriko ended her bout of sarcasm. "Ehehen. Too late!"

A series of explosions, some painful shouts and gasps, and a few "I'm sorry!" from Nick. Shika giggled from the sight.

Mokou was wearing a puzzled expression. "You all are… too lively," she remarked, arms crossed. Watching them she suddenly felt old. "Done already?" she called out after the two with annoyed expression.

"Ehehen, done," Meriko landed in front of Mokou, smoothing down her hair. "I… it was amazing! I suddenly find myself being able to do this! I can fly, and I feel like everything is on my fingertips! Is…" she said, noticing Mokou's frown, "is this normal, Fujiwara-san?"

"Wow, that's one disgraceful heap," Shika pointed at Nick sprawled on the ground a few meters away, smoke rising from his twitching body. _It looks like something that just got run over by a truck, _she thought.

"No," Mokou replied. "That is not normal at all. But I guess you can skip today's lesson. I'll train those two instead. Do you provide your… shikigami with enough magical energy?"

"I'll try," Meriko snapped her fingers. A glowing orb appeared over Shika and Nick before disappearing. "That'll give them enough to last them a day. And, I think I'm returning to the village, is that alright?"

"You're not going to watch us?" Shika asked.

"No. Don't worry. I made sure your portion was ten times Nick's."

"Thank you, Meriko-sama," Shika stood and gave a very low bow.

"Ehehen. Don't disappoint me," Meriko replied.

"I won't, nee-cha-," Shika quickly put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in surprise as she realized that her tongue slipped, "I mean, Master."

"Ehehen," Meriko shrugged, seeing Shika's face flush in embarrassment. Then she turned to Mokou, saying, "Please take good care of them." She eyed Nick trying to pull himself up, groaning in pain. Mokou responded with a nearly indiscernible nod. "Besides, I have a friend to meet. She has been waiting for a long time."

_[Background Music ends]_

With a gust of wind, Meriko shot to the air like an arrow, using her wings to propel herself, the wings of solidified magical energy putting out much force with her barely having to exert any effort. She landed among the trees and waited.

She snapped her fingers once. A black sword made of the same material as her wings appeared in her hand. She snapped them another time, and the sword morphed into a black scythe. She snapped them another time, and it morphed into a bigger scythe. Another snap of her fingers, and the scythe disappeared. She kneeled down and touched one of the saplings emerging from the forest floor and it grew at an unnatural rate, like in a fast-forwarded film. Once it was a foot tall, she touched the plant and it solidified into a grey metal. She flicked her finger against the plant, and was satisfied to find that it was really metal. She snapped her finger and a crackling ball of lightning appeared in her hand, and with another motion of her hand, the ball lightning disappeared, replaced by a floating flame like a will-o'-the-wisp. She flipped her hand, and the flame morphed into a spinning tornado twirling over the back of her hand. _I knew it, _she thought.

_[Background Music: Ran Yakumo's theme: A maiden's Illusionary Funeral – necro Fantasy] [This music here plays faintly, but slightly louder than the background music before, and it ends before the crescendo]_

"Having fun, Fuumi-san?" a voice interrupted.

"Ehehen. I was passing the time waiting for you, my friend," Meriko replied, much to the appearing kitsune's surprise. With a graceful wave of her hand, her wings disappeared.

Ran Yakumo appeared out of a gap suddenly appearing midair, the kitsune standing still midair as if standing on firm ground. Her expression was one of wonder. Her yellow eyes were scrutinizing the girl as if taking measure of her every aspect and slightest reactions. "You noticed I was watching." It was not a question, but more of a statement.

"Yes," Meriko affirmed.

"My master has a proposal for you," Ran spoke.

"Yes?" Meriko asked, eager to listen.

"She wanted to offer _you_ to be her shikigami," Ran continued. "What say you?"

"Why, I wonder?" Meriko asked. The offer took her by surprise.

"She wants you to be her man, I mean, her girl," Ran corrected. "You have potential. As the being watching over the balance of Gensokyo, Yukari-sama could use some help from a talented individual like you. That's why she saved your life. That's why she let you in to Gensokyo. That's why she let that girl in, to make sure you're not haunted by loneliness. That's why she didn't kill the boy, so as to not haunt you with guilt. You are a valuable piece, Fuumi Meriko, and are turning more valuable every minute, as much as my observation indicated."

Meriko was silent. She was not expecting this at all. But then she replied graciously, "Ehen, why I'm really grateful!"

"What's in it for you?" Ran continued smoothly, as if guessing what Meriko was having in mind. "As long as you are Yukari-sama's shikigami, you will have free access to the outside world and back."

"No, I don't want that," Meriko replied, taking Ran by surprise. "I'm not one to chicken out from my decision. It's not even a day yet, and I'm not feeling homesick."

"Then I have another offer," Ran continued smoothly, "Knowledge. Servitude is temporary, but knowledge is lasting, and knowledge is power, Fuumi Meriko. Yukari can teach you many, many things. For example, I'm sure you want to stop playing make-believe by claiming the two are shikigami? Shikigami is a deeper concept than just a master-servant contract. It's a contract bound by magic, loyalty and enchantments. Without them you three are just children playing as master and servant."

Meriko couldn't help but to feel impressed. The fox did know how to talk. But then, foxes weren't deemed as cunning creatures for nothing, she thought. And Yukari seemed to really know how to put her proposal.

"I see that you are interested," Ran deduced with a nod and a toothy grin. "Yukari-sama herself will see you tonight to discuss this matter to strike a deal with you. Please bear in mind that this offer is nearly unheard of, and is probably an offer of a lifetime. Think wisely. My master is being generous." Then with a bow, the kitsune retreated as a gap opened behind her and swallowed her out of existence.

"Uh, Ran?" Meriko called out.

The gap opened a narrow slit. "Yes?"

"Tell your master that I am really interested in your offer, but," Meriko let out a wide grin, "this offer better not restrict my freedom."

"I will convey that to Yukari-sama," Ran's voice replied. "She will explain to you how life as a shikigami really is, and how the master-shikigami contract really works. You just need to prepare your questions in advance."

"Because, ehehen," Meriko returned to her childish tone, "I'm thinking of being a god!" With the last two words, she raised both of her arms while her eyes widened in elation. A maddened look crossed them.

Ran imagined she could see a flash of red passing through Meriko's dark pupils. The kitsune frowned as an uneasy feeling stirred in the depths of her stomach. The slit slid shut.

_[Background music ends]_

* * *

_This is really a tough chapter. What do you think, dear readers? Being a heavier project, I think Sanguine Insanity Crescendo is in a direr need of reviews than Scorching Summer Disappearance. Please tell me if this is a good chapter._

_Give a guess how this story will progress. _

_Translator's note: When Nick said "Bud of leek," this was actually a crude pun in Japanese. "Bud of leek" is put crudely by the boy as "Me-riiku" (pronounced may-ree-coo), which was pretty close to "Meriko."_

_Sigh, oh, well, I'm going to rest myself a bit with some reading. I marked 13 chapters from authors I follow, a total of 96,861 words and 194 pages of Touhou fan-fiction to read and review. Good authors read more than they write. _

_Now that reminds me… If Meriko takes on Yukari's offer, then being a shikigami herself, Shika will be a shikigami's shikigami. Then what does that make Nick? Uh, below even Chen's level?_

_Dedicated for one young talented Crossworth; stay safe. And get well soon. _

_And there is a hidden mention of another author here. An internet cookie if you noticed. Sorry, couldn't help myself, I was bored. Which explains this long, long author note. Oh, and I hope my choice of music works. Peaceful chapters are the one that I find hardest to insert a background music. Yeah, 'peaceful,' what with the constant war between Nick and Miss Protag. I hope that music conveyed the childish chaotic nature of their banter. Okay, author note being painfully long. (author zips mouth)_


	11. The Coach Fighting

_Can you believe it? I only played Touhou for the first time after writing 38 chapters of Touhou fan-fiction. Well, it's EoSD, and got all the way to Sakuya. She completely diced me, uuu… I want to see Remi and Flan…_

_Ah well, never mind. This got to be the longest hiatus since I started writing Touhou. Which was… um… two months ago? I couldn't gain access to my laptop and the internet for more than a week, because of very complicated reasons that made me dream of yukkuris every night._

_AND this is a tough chapter. Very tough for me to write. Tougher than a tyre. Not sure why. I have doubts if this is a better than average chapter._

_Well, I got to stop rambling. On to the story! _

* * *

"_I have fallen._

_Fallen in order to reach the top of the universe._

_I have turned insane._

_Insane in order to snap out of the insanity called sanity._

_I have betrayed._

_Betrayed in order to stop betraying myself and being my own biggest obstacle._

_I left my friends behind._

_Left them behind in order so that they can no longer block my way forward._

_I am no longer the person you know._

_Because the person you know is a person that I don't know." – the Black Princess. _

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Coach Fighting**

_[Background Music: Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke / Mokou's Theme by DauGe] [Music played softly and looped]_

"I repeat," Mokou stressed her words. "Today's lesson is about control. If your friend just now gave you power greater than what you are used to, you'll have to learn controlling it. Lack of control could lead to… painful situations."

"Shouldn't Meriko be the one learning to control her powers instead?" Nick pointed out. Mokou turned silent for a few seconds, her dark red eyes unblinking pondering over what Nick is implying.

"But she's already gone. So I'll let that pass," Mokou continued nonchalantly.

"WHAT?" Nick protested. "What's with that irresponsible answer?"

"Ehehe… don't worry," Shika giggled. "Master knows how to handle herself. You'll have to believe in her and trust her more," She took on a preaching tone, waggling a finger slowly.

"Yeah, right," Nick muttered dismissively.

"What could possibly happen, it's not like she's one to suddenly go on a rampage in the Human Village," Mokou tried to brush aside their concerns.

"I made the mistake of thinking I could expect what Meriko is capable of doing," Nick snapped back.

"Ehehe," Shika replied, "why so serious, Nick?"

"Enough," Mokou cut their banter. "You will fight Shika."

"WHAT?" Nick protested. "But Meriko gave her ten times the power she gave me! What if Shika sends me to the hospital in a matchbox?"

"As long as you don't die it's okay," Mokou remarked, her voice flat and emotionless. "Stay safe. If Meriko could buffet you with her danmaku and leave you still standing, you'll be fine with this girl."

"It hurt like hell!"

"Eh, don't even start on telling me how pain feels like," Mokou replied, leaving Nick speechless. "Anyway, I will keep a close eye on you two while you practice. Try not to injure anyone. Badly. Remember that you are mortal."

"Memento mori," Nick mumbled. It was Latin for 'Remember your mortality.'

"Tag, I'm it!"

"Wait, Sonoyuki-sa-!" Nick protested, but too late. Mokou sidestepped smoothly, and a danmaku laser hit the boy squarely on the chest, sending him flying a few meters backward in an arc.

"Play safely," Mokou reminded them.

_It feels like touching a socket with a wet finger, _Nick thought, wincing from the aftershock.

"Scared already? I don't need a jumpy servant," Shika exclaimed with glee. "Tonight, we're having the chicken for dinner!"

Mokou sighed. "What's a fight if it ends in less than a second?" she asked.

"Ahaha," Nick chuckled as he stood up. Then he rolled aside, avoiding another laser from Shika. The girl's eyes widened, realizing that her cheap blow was avoided. "Meriko's fire hurt a lot more than this, and you got a long way to go to her level," the boy taunted, keeping a confident smile on his face. But then he leapt aside as another laser was fired towards him.

"My turn," Nick replied cheekily. _This girl got ten times more firepower than me. That means, I need to conserve my energy more than her._ He started to run in an arc around as Shika retaliated with another laser beam that he avoided.

"Geez, stop running and fight like a man!" Shika cried out in annoyance.

"What's wrong, _Master_?" Nick teased. "And I've not even fired anything yet?"

Shika let out a grin. "Fine, surprise me."

Nick grinned. He then sprinted towards Shika, the girl betraying a twitch that showed she was feeling threatened by the boy closing in on the distance between them. She let go a laser beam that barely grazed Nick's elbow, but wincing while trying to bear the sudden jolt of pain, Nick released his own danmaku, seven balls of light moving in a haphazard pattern, but surely heading towards his opponent.

"Tcheh," Shika hissed in annoyance as the balls of light bore down on her from seven directions. Interestingly they were all of seven different colors, making it hard for her to focus on them all at the same time. The girl's eyes widened.

BOOM.

An explosion of energy. But it was not the impact of the seven balls. It was Shika releasing an energy bomb that vaporized the seven balls, and taking Nick with it, leaving an area of smoking grass. But much to Shika and Mokou's wonder, as the blast cleared, it revealed the boy still standing after enduring the impact, smoke rising from his entire being. "Meriko's hurt more than this," he said, panting heavily and releasing a stream of twenty balls of light, buzzing and flying haphazardly like twenty bees.

"No way," Shika whispered as she ran like mad avoiding the danmaku. But Nick was controlling them like homing missiles, and she had to release another explosion of energy, which, again took Nick with it. Mokou realized that the blast of energy was not merely an explosion, but a directed one. Instead of having a circular area of impact, it was elliptical, swallowing Nick, the boy falling backwards, his clothes smoking, his eyes blank and his mouth agape as if blacking out. He landed with a thud.

"Hehe," Shika giggled in triumph. But then, nine balls of light bore down on her from behind.

Nick had been expecting Shika to use her elliptical bomb, and taking him down with his bullets. So, the way to get her would be where the bombs could get the closest to her without being swallowed by the explosion, which was, directly behind her.

"Kya! Owowow! Keh! Ow!" the girl cried out in pain as she tried to roll away from the barrage. "Kya! Ooooowww!"

_Music to the ears, _Nick thought, his whole body in pain as if it had tasted fire for half a second.

"Time out!" Mokou called out, much to both parties' relief.

Nick couldn't get himself to stand up or sit. Taking two bombs and a graze from a laser in less than ten seconds was kind of too much. But he was happy to be able to score a hit. Eight hits, in fact, with Shika only being able to dodge one of the nine danmaku striking from point blank. It was a great mental effort for him to control the direction of his own danmaku while in white hot pain. _That should teach her. I'm… pleased. Overpowered in terms of sheer power by one to ten, this is not bad. Not bad at all._

"Ow… I'll get back at you for this…" Shika moaned, her hair a mess, one of her twintails unraveled into a tangle of dark brown hair. She smoothed them out before tying them back together with her hair bobble.

"You two have done well," Mokou commented. "Shika, I commend you for the usage of bombs. You also seemed to be able to control its intensity as to not make it too damaging because you're fighting a friend. And you have a good aim with your laser. And Nick, nice footwork, for a human, that is. And more importantly, you can mentally control the direction of your danmaku. That's quite an advanced skill. And good strategizing.

"Overall, this is nothing that I expected when I said that we are learning control of danmaku. You two are quite… violent. Time out. We'll go to the next stage after this."

The two were glad to be able to take a rest. They didn't even move from their places, still lying on the ground and watching the clouds pass by with thoughtful looks on their faces. Nick thought to himself, _I wonder what Meriko is doing right now. I don't think she's one to laze at home and sleep. That's not like her. She must be doing something. I hope it's nothing bad. She's only being mean at me, so let's hope she's not being mean at others, or there goes our reputation in Gensokyo, in this Human Village. Who knows how we could survive if the villagers expelled us, or, whatever._

Mokou lifted to the air and flew without even summoning her phoenix wings, leaving the two. The air blew in a comforting breeze, the grass tickling them under the wind's gentle caress. Nick noticed that the air was getting hotter. Then the sun came out from behind the white clouds. With difficulty Nick sat up, while realizing that Shika was doing the same thing. Ignoring her cold stare, he checked his watch. _Oh, it's 9.17 a.m. _Then, looking at the girl, he mentioned, "You know, you're being relatively silent for quite some time right now."

"So?" Shika snapped back.

"You know I'm someone to be reckoned with. You can't just say what you like right now, right? Or you might have to eat your own words later," Nick commented, enjoying the irritation that crossed Shika's expression when she heard his shrewd deduction. "I don't care if I'm a servant, or whatever, it pleases me just to show you that I'm a capable person, a human being and not just someone you could bully endlessly."

"What are you babbling for?" Shika spoke with a hostile tone.

"I'll make Meriko realize that later," Nick spoke with a gentle smile. But then, Shika threw a rock at him that sent him collapsing backwards again as it hit him squarely on the forehead. "Gah, ow!" he hissed in pain.

"If I want your opinions, I'll ask you myself, _servant,_" she retorted in a low growl.

"Yes, master," Nick answered pleasantly, just before rolling aside to avoid another flying rock. But then, he continued, "You know, if it hadn't been the fact that you realized that I am someone like a rival to your power, you'll probably not throw rocks, but fire one of your lasers at me. But you don't, because you know I can fire back. Ahaha, your bark is worse than your bite." He ended with a chuckle.

Red and blue lasers descended from the sky. Nick leaped up hurriedly, a laser nicking his ankle, sending a jolting shock across his body, but despite the pain, he flashed the girl a friendly smile. "See? I was expecting that. You're acting all too predictable lately. You know that, don't you, Shika? You're a reader of people's expressions too."

Much to his relief, Shika sighed, "You're as annoying as hell, Nick," she spoke.

"Really?" Nick answered lightly, "Wow, so hell is not that bad, huh?" and gained a cold stare from the girl. "Well, why do you two hate me that much? Why do you two try to make my every moment miserable?"

"You're a reader of people's expressions, you try and guess yourself," Shika answered unhelpfully. "Besides, I doubt someone like you, a boy like you can understand Meriko-sama's logic."

"Ah, so that means you hate me because your master does," Nick deduced with ease. "Well, maybe she holds a grudge for me outscoring her in the exam. I noticed it in her expression that day at school. She's really terrible in hiding her feelings. I've heard that she used to have an unbroken streak of being the top student for years. But, is there something else? It's kinda too childish, even for someone like Meriko to hold a grudge just from something as trivial as that."

Shika felt belittled, as if she was a child being made to sit on a couch and hear the rants of a psychologist. The worst part of it was that the ranting was mostly correct. For someone like her, it hurt. "Nah, guess all you want."

"Okay, I'll try to find out. But I'm curious. Are you and Meriko always like this? You two appeared perfectly normal and very nice at school. Was that just, a social face?"

"This _is_ us," Shika asserted.

"I see, nice to meet you two, Sonoyuki Shika, Fuumi Meriko," Nick spoke with a courteous grin.

"Nice to _meat_ you, meat bun," Shika answered. But then Mokou landed on the clearing with a basket. It later turned out to be a serving of manju and a flask of tea.

After eating their fill and unwinding themselves, Mokou stood and clapped her hands together. "Alright, listen well. Thinking over your last fight, I think that you two need to learn how to make your danmaku much more stable. I want you two to fire fifty danmaku in succession, all with the same amount of strength and intensity. If I spot one danmaku that is noticeably stronger or weaker than the ones before, you'll start from zero again."

"What?" Shika and Nick exclaimed at the same time, but seeing Mokou's unblinking stare, Nick added with a shrug, "Well, it's just fifty."

Nick was first to go. He calmly released a stream of danmaku from his fingertips with a one second interval between every sphere of light. Mokou was impressed to see that he was able to reach fifty without any noticeable fluctuations in danmaku strength. Shika only narrowed her eyes. "Fifty. Okay, time out for you."

Shika's turn. She released her red and blue lasers in the same direction, also with a second interval between them.

"Fifteen," Mokou interrupted. "That sixteenth one was stronger than the rest. Start again."

"Aw…" Shika muttered, nearly inaudible.

"Twenty-four." "Eighteen." "Twenty-three." "Thirty-four."

As Shika struggled, Nick sat with his back against a tree, humming with a pleasant smiling expression. The girl did not even let her glance pass over him. He knew that his calm bearing annoyed her.

"Forty-seven!"

"GAAAGH!" Shika exclaimed in fury.

"Quit whining! Failures are what practices are all about!" Mokou scolded. Shika retried. After a few moments, "Thirty-nine!"

"You're improving! You can do it, Shika!" Nick called out from the sideline.

"Shut up! I don't need your sympathy!" Shika snapped at him.

"I know," Nick replied. "Ow!" A ball of light hit him.

"Twenty-nine!" "Forty-one! Put more focus into it!" "Fourty-eight!"

"Can you overlook that one?" Shika pleaded.

"No won't do," Mokou answered, sternly unmoving, crossing her arms. Shika resumed her practice. After a few more moments, "Forty-six!"

"Why always at the last moments!"

"That is life. Things can always blow up at the last moments," Mokou replied without sympathy.

"Fifty!"

Shika froze in her firing posture, panting hard.

"Aren't you supposed to exclaim 'I did it!' out loud?" Nick asked playfully. But Shika ignored him. "Well, lucky I made it in my first try. If I had to try as much as you did, what little shred of power Meriko gave me will probably run out."

"If my power runs out, I'll command _you _to give all your power reserves to me," Shika.

"But I don't know how to do that. Besides, my power reserves are just a tenth of yours. You'll probably use it all up in just a few seconds," Nick answered smoothly.

"Ahem," Mokou addressed the two. "Now, we'll go to the next stage, control of direction." She went to the edge of the clearing. With a flick of her arm, a fire blazed on the grass, its color a crimson red. Strangely it did not move from its position or spread like a wildfire. Instead, it just flickered steadily like an overgrown will-o'-the-wisp, as large as a tyre. Then walking along the edge of the clearing, she made four more flickering fires.

Turning to face them, she explained, "This is fire number one, the one to its right is fire number two, after that is number three, four and five. Not very hard to remember, right? When I call out a number, you will aim for the fire with that number. Get it?"

"Oh, it's a targeting practice!" Nick deduced.

"Yes, I want you to hit for twenty consecutive times without a miss," Mokou added. "Shika, you first."

"Me? I haven't done resting yet."

"Fine, Nick then," Mokou replied. "Four!"

Nick fired a yellow ball of danmaku. It missed. Barely.

"Miss!" Mokou exclaimed. "Again. Five!" The second blast hit. "Three!" Hit again. "Two, five, one!"

Nick continued trying to give his best. He knew that he had to make it soon, or his energy would run out. Shika only watched him silently as Mokou barked out the numbers and Nick tried to aim for the fires.

"Miss!" Mokou told the boy. "Seven out of twenty. Start again from zero!" "Three, one! Miss! Eleven out of twenty. Again!" "Two, four, one!" "Miss! Again!" "Again! Thirteen out of twenty!" "Two out of twenty? Are you even trying?" "Fifteen out of twenty! Yes, that's a miss, Nick-san." "Eleven out of twenty. Sigh, this is getting tiring." "Three, four, one! Six."

"There is no fire numbered six!" Nick retorted, his forehead sweating from the focus and exertion. But it was also due to the fact that the sun was shining fiercely in the sky.

"I mean, six out of twenty," Mokou answered coolly.

Shika sat under the shade of a tree. She noticed the air getting hotter and hotter. She took a glance on her watch. It was roughly ten o'clock. Meriko's words from a time long ago resounded in her head. _Shika, in this life, controlling time is a very important skill. Everyone is given 24 hours. Ineffective use of time is a waste of a portion of your life that will never return. So imprison and tame time with this device and calculations in your head. That's what makes us different from other girls. Other girls will scoff at watches, considering them outdated and a redundant addition to their pink and frilly mobile phones. But us, it is a mark that we shall strangle time with our hands, and squeeze all that we can from it. One does not bring a mobile phone everywhere and every time. Unless I find a way to be immortal, or prolonging my life on this world, time is a bitter enemy. Be temporally conscious. I'll have you at my side to do much of the calculating._

"Seventeen…" Mokou drawled, sounding bored. She was sitting on the ground wearing an uninterested expression. "Maybe you should rest a while to pull yourself together?"

"Ahaha, don't worry, I'm not thinking of giving up any time now," Nick dismissed with a tense smile. He resumed his attempts…

"Twenty!" Mokou declared with a nod of approval. Nick gave a pleased grin. "Time out for you. Shika!"

Shika stood, snapping out of her distant thoughts.

"One! Three! Two! Four! One! Five, five, two! Three! One, one! Two, four, three, one! Five! Three! Five! Two, two!" Mokou commanded, as Shika fires her laser beams with precision. "Well done, twenty out of twenty, first attempt successful. Time out." She went to each of the blazing fire and stamped them out, as if oblivious to the heat of the flames.

"Eh?" Nick's jaw fell agape. _So she does have her plus points._

"Be prepared," Mokou told them. "Next up are still the basics, but will be the last for our training today. You'll apply both aspects that you have practiced before, plus dodging."

"We'll fight each other?" Shika asked.

"No. You'll both fight _me_ instead," Mokou replied with a sinister expression.

Nick gulped.

"I'll go easy on you of course. You two are complete beginners," Mokou brushed away their worries. "Prepare yourself."

Nick took a deep breath and started strategizing in his head. He wondered what kind of attacks would Mokou use. She was immortal, so Nick guessed that it might make her a ruthless attacker. But then, she should be one to understand pain more than others, so she might be more cautious. But Nick suddenly remembered Mokou's mention of her fighting Kaguya to 'death' over dried persimmons. _Heh, maybe not. _He guessed that Mokou had quite some control over fire seeing how she summoned the flickering flames. She also could fly, so that would make her a difficult target and a dangerous enemy.

Suddenly, a movement at the opposite side of the clearing caught his eye.

"Hello, Reisen," Mokou greeted the passing newcomer, her arms crossed, and her eyes staring coldly with cold hostility.

"Ahaha, Fujiwara-san," the newcomer replied. She had a pair of long and rumpled rabbit ears on her head of light-purple hair. "Good day. Is everything alright here?" she asked, sounding jittery. The rabbit-eared girl looked like a normal human teen except for, of course, the ears. She was dressed in a white shirt with a red necktie matched with a purple skirt, like some western school uniform. In her hand was a basket filled with some kind of flowery fabric.

"Nothing, just training some humans from the village," Mokou answered in a low drawl.

Curious, Nick walked towards the two.

"Stay out of this," Mokou sharply whispered as the boy reached her side.

"Uh…" Reisen and Nick blurted at the same time.

"No, no, no, I'm just passing by," Reisen replied pleasantly. "I'm not up to anything bad. I have an important errand, and I need to be quick."

"Fine, go away," Mokou dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"See you later, Fujiwara-san!" Reisen spoke hurriedly and left, sounding glad to be able to leave them.

Once she was some distance away, Nick whispered, "What's with those… ears? And… _tail?_" Nick was reminded of a magic show he had seen in the television, with the magician's assistants all dressed in tight fitting and revealing clothes and having rabbit ears and tails as a part of their costumes. It made him wonder why would a magic show need that much… feminine allure. But then, that type of 'magic' worked under the mesh of numerous distractions and psychological misconceptions, and having those girls will keep some perverted eyes off the magician half the time.

"She's a rabbit youkai. Kaguya's rabbit," Mokou answered, sounding displeased. "She had hundreds of those at her home. Uh, your nose is bleeding."

"No," Nick denied, wiping away the bood with the back of his hand. "It's just the heat! I swear!" He was feeling the heat of the sun on his head.

"You're thinking of something PERVERTED!" Shika shouted in his ear. Which made him jump in surprise, not realizing that Shika had went to his side.

"No! It's just the afternoon heat! That's what causes nosebleeds!"

"Alright, swear that you're not thinking of anything perverted right now," Shika crossed her arms. "And I'll see how much of a liar you are."

"Right! I swear that I'm not thinking of anything-," But then Nick suddenly hesitated. "Oh, come on. If someone tells you, don't think of spotted pink elephants, what will be the first thing to flash in your mind?"

_Uh, he's honest alright, _Mokou thought.

"I knew it! Boys are perverted! And you're even more so than most of them!" Shika shouted.

"Cut it out! Why do you need to shout so much?" Nick retorted irritably.

"Pervert! Nick is a pervert! He has a rabbit fetish!"

"Shut up!" Nick scolded the girl, his face red and flushed in embarrassment. "You just won't stop, do you? You're the one making me think of unpleasant things! I want to keep my mind clean!"

"Shut up, pervert!" Shika turned all Nick's words null and void. "Rabbit lolicon!

"Fine, fine! Stop it, you two!" Mokou scolded, her hands cupped over her ears.

Nick facepalmed. He spoke, sounding distraught. "I'm not a pervert! I swear! I hate it when people around me make dirty jokes and all that! I'm not like other boys!"

"Meh, no pervert would admit that he's a pervert," Shika pressed on fiercely.

"You used 'he,' meaning that you think that perverts are only among the male gender?" Nick fought back, red-faced and looking harassed. "You might be a pervert too for all I know!"

"Guys… did you hear me asking you two to stop?" Mokou asked, her face bowed with a faked smile while a clump of smoking yellow flame shrouded each of her hands.

That made them fall silent.

"Good," Mokou let out a sigh. "I started to doubt your age. Are you two overgrown children?" But then she turned around in alarm.

_[Background Music: __東方 __[Piano] Flight of the Bamboo Cutter ~ Lunatic Princess] [Music played at a soft volume, not too loud]_

Up above the trees, a girl looking no older than Mokou was standing midair as if on solid ground. She was wearing a long trailing kimono with pink flowery patterns. Her very long and straight black hair was hime-cut, while her dark brown eyes were watching them with amusement. "Good afternoon, Mokou. Who are these kids?" she asked sweetly.

Even before Mokou hissed, "It's Kaguya," Nick already guessed. The newcomer did look like Meriko from the first glance. She even had the same annoying habit of sweetening their voice as if feigning ignorance and innocence half the time. But Kaguya's manner of speech sounded more like a lady.

"It's none of your business," Mokou answered.

A curious look crossing her expression, Kaguya swooped down and landed in front of them. "Ah, you must be from the outside world!" she said, seeing Nick's clothes. "And you're training them, Fujiwara? Don't tell me you're going to have them fight for you? Even I didn't ask for help from Eirin and the rabbits when I could have."

Nick noticed that the kimono she was wearing had the same pattern as the fabric he had seen earlier in Reisen's basket. He wondered if the relation could mean anything.

"They have nothing to do with you," Mokou replied, staring coldly.

"Oh, what's your name, young ones?" Kaguya asked them in a friendly manner with a gesture of her hand. The sleeves of her kimono were so long that it hid them.

"Nick Evans?" Nick answered unsurely.

"Suzuki," Shika answered, lying about her name.

"Ah, Suzuki-san and Ebansu-san," Kaguya greeted them. "I'm warning you, she's a cannibal."

"What? Don't go and say anything you like, Kaguya!" Mokou retorted.

"Uh…" Nick looked puzzled.

"You're a phoenix, a bird, and you have a yakitori stand. You grill birds. That makes you a cannibal, right?"

"But I don't eat humans, or little kids!" Mokou objected.

"Do you eat eggs?" Kaguya asked.

"You eat them too," Mokou replied irritably.

"Boiled, fried or scrambled?" Kaguya asked eagerly.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Well, that means you do eat little kids of your own kind. You eat them before they're even born!" Kaguya trolled, leaving Mokou unable to retort for a few seconds.

"That's not the point!" she raised her voice in anger.

But Kaguya was already turning to face the other two. "Want to have a chat at my house? I'm being away from home for too long, Eirin must be worried sick. Besides, the sun is just too hot we won't be able to hold a proper conversation. Look at Fujiwara, she's boiling already. We have dried persimmons!" she said, producing a paper bundle from inside her clothing.

"THOSE ARE MINE!" Mokou shouted in anger, literally bursting into flames. Her entire body was shrouded in fire as she let go a red laser blast that missed Kaguya's head by inches as the Moon princess sidestepped the beam with a nonchalant smile.

"My, my, what a quick temper, how can you say that? All persimmons look the same, especially after they're dried, you know," Kaguya replied pleasantly.

"You come here just to make me blow my top, do you? You're not getting away this time!" Mokou pointed a finger at her in anger. "You have no idea how much time I took in making them! How many months I waited for the tree to bear fruit! And how I've been keeping them dried to be stored until next year!"

Not listening in the slightest bit, Kaguya took a dried persimmon from the paper bundle and took a bite. "Here, have some," she passed one each to Nick and Shika.

"THAT'S IT! THIS MEANS WAR!"

_Now I understand how dried persimmons can start a mortal combat, _Nick thought.

"Sure, what do you want to do?" Kaguya asked with an innocent expression.

"Let's finish last night's battle! If I win this time, we're even!" Mokou challenged.

"Sure, if I win, no dried persimmons for you," Kaguya replied. "Let's play, Fujiwara-san."

"Stay out of this," Mokou told the two, an insane look of excitement crossing her face.

"Kids stay out of this!" Kaguya told them sweetly, holding out an arm. Five different artifacts appeared and floating, they started to move slowly in a circle around her hand. A diamond, a bowl, a small branch with colored jewels in the end, a robe and a seashell.

Taking their advice, he pulled Shika away from the two clashing titans. Shika slapped away his hand with an angry hiss, but she retreated hurriedly anyway.

"I'll show you that I've not forgiven you over the centuries that have passed!" Mokou declared. "The grudge of the Fujiwara," she spoke in a low but clear whisper, slowly rising into the air, as Kaguya watched with an amused expression from below. "Limiting Edict – Iwakasa's Moon Curse."

Eight radiating streams of white danmaku shot out from Mokou floating unsupported above the trees, while from behind Kaguya, fiery fishes started to surround the Moon princess who dodged nimbly like a shadow despite her long clothing.

She shot to the air, flitting between the closely arranged white danmaku, and declared her own spell card. "Divine Treasure – Brilliant Dragon Bullets!" Rainbow colored lasers exploded from all around her, crisscrossing in a dazzling display of colors.

Nick and Shika had to retreat into the trees to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

"Amazing!" Shika blurted. "This is amazing!" she spoke in an excited whisper. "This is what everyone was talking about! A real danmaku battle!"

"Kaguya don't look that very evil to me, though," Nick said thoughtfully. "I think it's more like rivalry, or arguing or bickering. I think they must've been fighting for a long time already, with both sides being unable to die."

Shika continued to watch the battle with intense unblinking concentration. Both sides were filling the field with bullets, leaving very little room to dodge them, and yet, there they were, gracefully flitting between the smallest spaces available between the danmaku downpour.

The edge of Kaguya's skirt caught fire, but a turquoise laser from Kaguya's hand blew a hole through Mokou's hair. "You'll pay for that!" Mokou shouted angrily.

"You'll pay for this!" Kaguya shouted, putting out the fire.

But Mokou swooped down towards Kaguya like a wingless eagle. Kaguya shot to the air like an arrow, and with a graceful maneuver, she flew in an arc behind Mokou and shot at her from behind. Startled, Mokou raced against the bullets chasing after her, and knowing that she could never hope to outrun their speed, she swooped upwards and backwards like a plane, only to meet a surprised Kaguya midair. Both their eyes widened.

BUMP. Their heads bumped against each other just as both of them peppered each other with danmaku. Despite being dazed by the impact, they still shot out barrages of danmaku with blind ferocity. Both landed on the ground with sickening thuds, all grazed, scratched and mildly injured.

Mokou let out a hiss of pain. _My back!_

_My ankle! _Kaguya thought in pain. "Ow…"

Both taking off to the air again, they resumed their firing. Kaguya's sprained ankle did not trouble her as much as Mokou's back hurt her, as they were off the ground. The immortal human seemed to have trouble trying to avoid Kaguya's rapid firing as each movement made her back send spasms of pain to her brain.

Mokou, realizing her opponent's injury, started to shoot her danmaku in a descending wall, making Kaguya descend lower and lower to avoid the ever-lowering stream of fiery danmaku. Kaguya landed on her foot with a jarring thud, her lips letting escape a gasp of pain. But Mokou was not being merciful. The immortal human swooped in, and threw a fiery punch at the Moon princess, who ducked just in time, although not fast enough to avoid her hair catching fire from being grazed. Ignoring the smell of burnt hair, Kaguya turned around to see Mokou already landing behind her with a ball of concentrated danmaku in her hand which burst into a stream of hundreds more of red danmaku.

Kaguya shot to the air, putting out the fire in her hair.

"I think we have to stop them," Nick spoke.

"What can we do? Are you crazy?" Shika asked him, incredulous.

"Just stand between them. They know we're not immortal, they'll probably stop," Nick answered. He deduced that even Kaguya would not kill them because the Moon princess seemed eager to invite them to have a chat at her home, which indicated her interest in them.

But Mokou mercilessly let go a huge blast of silvery white laser that appeared to shoot right through Kaguya. The Moon princess screamed in pain and dropped onto the ground like a rock, clutching her arm.

Nick realized that watching from the sides, it appeared that way, but what actually happened was that the blast blew through her arm, not her torso.

"Stop!" Nick called out. He was already running towards the two.

"I'll kill you for this! I'll kill you for sure!" Kaguya yelled in anger, her eyes red with tears.

"Funny. That's what you always said," Mokou deadpanned. "Stay out of this, Nick!" she reprimanded. "Get away if you don't want to get killed."

"Stop this already. At least, I won't let any killing happen while I'm here," Nick said. "Even if you're both immortal." The blood dripping down from Kaguya's arm was already staining the grass. "She lost already. And show that you're a gentlema-, I mean, a lady, and let her go. It doesn't always have to end with death!"

"Funny, I lost count how many times she killed me and never gave me a chance," Mokou answered with sarcasm.

"I'm… I'm not… defeated… I'll still…" Kaguya spoke between gasps of pain.

"Fight?" Nick interrupted. "Are you two overgrown children? Resume your fighting some other time after you're unhurt and whole again!"

Kaguya bowed her head at Nick's words.

"Fine, I'll let you go, knowing that this will humiliate you more than killing you outright," Mokou spoke, "Kaguya."

But then with a sudden leap, Kaguya let go a crimson laser thrice as large as her other ones in her Dragon Bullet spell. It would've hit Mokou squarely in the face, but Nick shouted at the top of his lungs, "I said, STOP!"

The laser shattered into bits of energy which evaporated into nothingness. Nick, panting hard, was as pale as sheet. The boy collapsed unconscious.

* * *

_Hmm, some of you which hold correspondence with me will probably realize that I gave many teasers that do not appear in this chapter. That's because I planned that the training and Mokou-Kaguya confrontation to take only half a chapter. But it appeared that I wrote more than I planned, so I had to bring the other half to the next chapter to make sure this chapter doesn't end up being too long._

_I'm not sure if this is a good chapter._

_And... seeing how I fell into a two-week hiatus, please review to convince me that my story did not lose its charm and popularity!_

_Teaser: Seeing that this is the first ever Meriko-less chapter, of course the next chapter will feature her. What is the girl going to do?_


	12. Divine Retribution

_Now, on to the story. Wait, why do I always repeat that line when I have nothing much to say?_

_Well, ta dah! Do I post sooner than was expected?_

_Contest: Can someone give me suggestions on a theme for Meriko and co.? You can PM me here or in Facebook if you don't have an FF account (the link to my Facebook is on my profile)._

* * *

"_They're in need of pity_

_Yet they're arrogant._

_They're in need of contentment_

_Yet they're greedy._

_They're in need of happiness_

_Yet they're insufferable._

_They hate suffering_

_Yet they're injurious._

_They're in need of wisdom_

_Yet they're unwilling to look beyond what they see._

_So tell me, why shouldn't I take advantage of their foolishness and rise into the top of the world, looking down at them with contempt?" – the Black Princess. _

* * *

**Chapter 12: Divine Retribution**

_[Background music: __東方 __[Piano] Voyage 1969 (2) from kkcwkoh]_

"What an idiot," Shika hissed between her clenched teeth. Mokou jerked away the boy Nick by grabbing his upper arm and retreated from pale-faced Kaguya. "Stop! Please!" she called out. The two immortals then turned to look at her. "Don't attempt anything or I'll shoot you myself! He's my servant!"

With a leap, Mokou retreated from her nemesis with the unconscious Nick.

"This… is not over yet…" Kaguya muttered with disdain.

"Princess!" a lady landed behind Kaguya. Kaguya turned around, looking startled.

"Eirin?" she asked quizzically.

Eirin Yagokoro, Kaguya's lifelong mentor and assistant usually wouldn't interfere in her scuffle with the human immortal. The pharmacist looked superficially as if she exceeded the Moon princess' apparent age in years by no more than two or three, even if her long hair was white. It was in a large braid behind her. Her face had a kindly expression, but it hid a craftiness beyond mortal years. Her clothes are red and blue with constellation patterns, with a nurse's cap on her head. As is usual for her, she brought her bow and arrow with her.

"Princess! Your body is still not healed completely of the snake bite! Reisen just gave you the antivenom, right? What were you thinking, getting caught in a fight already?" Eirin spoke using reprimanding words, but a gentle tone, not unlike a worried mother.

"Well, she started it," Kaguya spoke with a clueless expression.

"Don't lie using that innocent expression!" Mokou scolded in anger. And when Kaguya gave a quizzical "Eh?" she added, "And don't act all innocent either!"

"Yep, maybe she thought she could defeat me when I'm weak-ow!" much to everyone's surprise, as Kaguya said this, Mokou gave her a bonk on the head.

Eirin sighed. "Yagokoro Eirin, pleased to be of your acquaintance," she introduced herself to Shika with a slight nod. Shika suddenly stepped back in alarm.

"You're quite strong!" she blurted. But then she put her hands over her mouth. Eirin only raised her eyebrows. "I mean, nice to be of your acquaintance. Sonoyuki Shika."

"But you said your name is Suzuki," Kaguya pointed out with a finger. But she winced with the sudden movement, realizing that her arm was just wounded badly.

"Eh? Did I? M-maybe I mispronounced," she said quickly, stuttering from surprise.

"Well, I'm as strong as Eirin is, it's just… you know, snakebite," Kaguya continued.

"What do you mean, I'm very strong?" Eirin asked, her brow furrowed.

"Um, nothing, I was not thinking properly," Shika said dismissively.

"Princess, I think your arm needs medical attention," Eirin reminded with a serious look on her face.

"Thanks!" Kaguya replied. "Do you have some painkillers with you? It… really really hurts…" she pleaded, throwing a sideways glance at her nemesis.

Eirin fumbled inside a pocket on her skirt. Then she took out a pouch and passed it to the Moon princess. The princess popped a couple of the dark brown capsules into her mouth.

"So, Kaguya, what snakebite?" Mokou asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Eh? Well, after defeating you last night, I got unlucky, that's all," Kaguya replied nonchalantly.

"Eh, wasn't it a draw? You collapsed dead too, and the snake bit you while you were returning to life?" Eirin asked.

"What?" Kaguya spluttered, surprised to see Eirin knowing the truth, "Who told you that?"

"I don't know, maybe Udonge's mistaken," Eirin dimissed with a shrug, referring to the youkai rabbit Reisen Udongein Inaba.

"Ha! I knew that I didn't lose!" Mokou exclaimed triumphantly, tilting her head and crossing her arms with a pleased expression, even if her eyes remained as cold as ever.

"Uh, excuse me, Nick… I mean, this boy…" Shika interrupted, but Eirin answered her inquiry.

"He's fine," the pharmacist replied. "He's just overexerting himself. Now that I come to think of it, this boy is from the outside world, right? And I assume you are, too?"

"Uh…" Shika was unsure of what to answer.

"Yes you are," Eirin deduced in less than a second from Shika's hesitance. "Do you want to buy some medicine? We have some that can wipe away exhaustion instantly!" the pharmacist offered with a pleasant expression, like a receptionist.

"No thanks," Mokou dragged the unconscious Nick away from Kaguya and her mentor.

"Uh… sorry," Shika added with a courtesy bow, before retreating with Mokou.

"I'll look forward to defeating you again, Fujiwara-tan!" Kaguya called out with a cheerful wave. "And thanks for the persimmons! Ow," she gasped in pain, as her arm hurt her again with the sudden movement.

"I'll make you pay for that later!" Mokou shouted back. Nevertheless she continued her retreat.

"Oh dear, the sun is kinda too hot, I don't think I should be staying outdoors. It's not good for the skin," Kaguya mumbled.

"Ah, here's Tewi with an umbrella," Eirin told her, seeing the figure of another rabbit youkai sprinting towards them, wearing a cheerful expression not unlike Kaguya's. The rabbit youkai was much shorter than Kaguya and wore a one-piece pink dress that looked like a nightgown. Her black hair was shorter and slightly bushy.

"Ah, perfect, she guessed just right," Kaguya let out a content sigh, wiping her brow.

"Well, after centuries, of course one needs to be familiar with your every need," Eirin dismissed with a shrug. "Now, let's go home. I know your wound will heal, but I need to disinfect it and give it proper treatment."

Reaching her mistress, the rabbit youkai passed the umbrella to the pharmacist. "Here," Tewi spoke. Eirin took the umbrella and shaded both of them.

"Can't we just fly?" Kaguya asked. "I can't stand all this sun for too long," she complained, shielding her eyes.

"Well, it's hard to fly holding an open umbrella," Eirin told her. But then a cloud passed overhead, dimming the sun's fierce glare. "Now talk about lucky."

"You're welcome," Tewi answered with a giggle.

"Can I talk with Inaba here for a few seconds?" Kaguya asked her mentor. Eirin raised her eyebrows but nevertheless, she retreated with a bow, passing the umbrella to Tewi, so Kaguya had to stoop a bit given the rabbit's lesser height.

"Inaba, you see, that Udonge told Fujiwara of my… embarrassing collapse after our battle. Now she's probably feeling high-spirited to know that it's not a loss but a draw. So, any ideas for revenge?"

"What's in it for me? Will you raise my allowance for this week?" Tewi asked excitedly, practically rocking on the balls of her feet with glee.

"Sure," Kaguya agreed quickly to Tewi's demand. "If it works…"

"Well, Eirin is currently researching on perfecting a drug called 'Laxative of a Hundred Years.' She said it's going to be tasteless, colorless and odorless," the rabbit whispered.

"Perfect."

Meanwhile, Shika asked Mokou, "So, he ran out of powers? But, if he only runs out of power that Meriko gave him, that won't make him fall unconscious, right?"

"That won't make him fall unconscious," Mokou affirmed. "He used his own power. No, I'm not an expert in this matter. But that's what I can figure out. He did negate that sneak Kaguya's sneak attack."

"And… I can see energy with my eyes," Shika continued. "And given enough time, I can estimate their strength. That's what I saw when I looked at… Eirin. And you. And everyone else. It started some time after Meriko left. Is that normal?"

"I'm not sure," Mokou answered flatly. "In battle, one can sense a rough idea of the enemy's remaining strength, or how much concentration an enemy has left for a spell card, but outside battle…" she let her sentence hang.

"Well, I often make calculations for Meriko-sama. Like estimating distances, emotion levels, seconds needed to go through a fixed distance, and all that. Even at times when she didn't ask me to," Shika explained in length. "And since Meriko lent me her powers, everything just became clearer. That's how I can pinpoint targets better than before."

"That's hard for me to imagine," Mokou answered with a frown. "And, oh, we have an unconscious boy. Shouldn't we carry him under the shade?"

Before Shika could answer, in a burst of fiery wings, Mokou was already under the shade of the trees at the edge of the clearing, the unconscious boy lying flat on the grass at her knees. Shika hurried towards her.

"This summer's a lot hotter than is usual, I wonder if anything's wrong with the weather or the world," Mokou said as if to herself.

"But it doesn't feel any different than the outside world," Shika told her.

A few moments silence passed between them.

"I… I think my ability is quantifying things," Shika said suddenly. "Everything!"

* * *

_[Background Music replaced by "__東方 __[Piano] Faith is For the Transient People" from kkcwkoh]_

It was still morning when Meriko reached the Human Village, landing from her flight some distance away from emerging between the wall of trees. She then walked with a confident gait, wearing a wide grin. _How do I start?_

She could practically feel her powers rippling through her body, like chills along her spine. Cold, and yet warm at the same time. Apprehensive yet excited at the same time.

She took in the scenery of the Human Village. Villagers were milling about and going around with their daily business, all paying little heed to her, the newly arrived stranger in the settlement. Perhaps they thought that she was just another girl from just another household.

A bunch of girls around her age were engaged in gossip under the shade of a wooden house nearby, their giggles audible, making Meriko wonder if she would blend in with the girls of this new world. Shopkeepers went on with their business, attending to their customers. A beggar was sitting in an alley between two wooden premises. Meriko spotted several housewives in kimonos, some of them bringing their children with them. A green-haired girl looking to be two or three years her senior with a red checkered skirt passed by her, shouldering an umbrella and smiling sweetly at her as she did. Meriko smiled back. Something about the girl made her senses tingle.

Then she noticed another girl in a dark green dress with a pair of scabbards slung on her back. The silver-haired girl was having a sack slung over her shoulder, the sack looking too heavy for the girl with her slight frame to carry, and yet there she was, walking away with a fast gait, outpacing many of the villagers themselves.

She wondered why of all people these two were the ones that she noticed first. _Maybe it's their hair? _But then, she knew that it was not something she saw, it was something she felt. But then, the two girls were already gone. Meriko let a sigh escape her lips. _Ah, well. I'm here for something else entirely._

Mustering all her confidence, she approached the beggar. The old man was a stick-thin specimen with knobbed joints wrapped in old clothes and smelling of being unwashed for days uncountable.

"Good morning," Meriko greeted him, "dear good sir."

The old man looked at her with narrowed but puzzled eyes. "G-good morning?" he asked, his voice faint and cracked.

"I am a travelling god. What is your dearest wish? Maybe I could grant it?"

"I don't know you, girl," the man scoffed, his wrinkly face becoming all the more wrinkled from his distorted expression. "Are you making fun of me?"

Meriko grinned. She knew that despite the man's elderly appearance, he still had a sharp mind. She just knew, she was not sure how or why. "Of course not, I am here to see if I can cure the longings of mortals, what lays in the boundaries of my power of course. And all you need to do is believe. Believe and hope."

"What game are ye playing? I need proof," the old man reprimanded. "And I don't think what I wished for is something you could grant."

"Here ye! Here ye!" Meriko called out, attracting the intention of passing villagers. "I am Fuumi no Meriko, a human god."

"Human?"the old man spluttered.

"I am here to grant the wishes of humans, wishes that are within my powers to bestow," Meriko continued. "All I ask is that you all believe and hope," she added a pleasant smile to enforce the image that she perfectly knew what she was doing.

By this time, a small crowd was already gathered around her. "Well, what kind of god are you?" a broad-shouldered man asked.

"I am a god that grants wishes. True, I am a human god, but," she snapped her fingers and closed her eyes. A pair of luminous and angular white wings, not unlike silvery bat wings appeared behind her back. That sight made some of the spectators gasp in shock. Oohs and aahs rose from the gaping crowd. A sleeve of silvery white light extended from the arms of her dress, ending in large sleeves that made her look like some oriental noble, the transition between cloth and fluid-like magic nearly seamless. The same fabric of energy extended from her skirt, lengthening it to the ground like a shimmering extension of the article of clothing, enhancing her regal and supernatural look. That appearance was then topped by the appearance of a crown made of glowing silvery and golden threads of light solidifying into a solid mass. By this time, none of the villagers questioned whether she was just some cheap scammer.

_Well, I overdid myself, but…_

Opening her eyes, she was pleased to see the wonder in their faces. Right now, skepticism was mostly replaced by awe. Some of them were plaintively rubbing their eyes. But many of them looked fearful and distrustful of the strange girl in front of them. "Now, do I have your attentions?" Meriko asked sweetly. Then she turned to the old man. "Very well, what is your wish?"

"I… I wish for my son back," he spoke, his eyes glazed and startled; still taking in the sight that was Meriko.

Hearing the wish, an urge in her mind told her to approach the man and touch his mind. "Indeed, Mr.…?"

"Yamasaka," Meriko and the old man answered at the same time, granting her a surprised look from the old man.

"Your name is Genzo Yamasaka. And your son… he is dead. I'm afraid I can't resurrect the dead. It was against the decree amongst us gods. But… I can make him come to you, in your dreams."

"Yes, please do!" the old man cried with tears starting to appear in his eyes. He didn't even question how Meriko seemed to be able to get the information. In fact, it was not clear even to Meriko herself as to how she could glean that information. It simply came to her mind without her having to exert herself.

"Believe and have faith," Meriko spoke in a clear whisper. "May you be blessed for your trust in me. And look what I find here," she said with wonder crossing her expression, as she picked up something from the ground underneath the hem of the old man's clothing. It was a gold coin, which she pressed onto the man's palm, earning her even more startled expressions. "This is as far as I am able to do," she spoke in a clear whisper again, "for now. When Fate is kinder, and when the belief is stronger, I may be able to do more. Next in line, please."

The eager crowd started to push towards the glimmering figure of Meriko. "Good sirs and madams, please make a line so that I can attend to each of you in turn, or I'm afraid I'll have to leave until the confusion settles," she told them in a sweet voice. "Next, if you please."

"Can you bless this child?" a plump middle-aged woman with a young girl went towards her, practically pushing aside all others in the crowd. The girl looked to be around eight years old, her face pale and sickly, her hair black, but her blue eyes shone with an eagerness and innocence that Meriko found enthralling.

"Yes," Meriko replied. "Is she often sick?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "She is the daughter of my dead sister. Her name is Aokawa Ruri. Despite whispers around her that she is a child of misfortune, I refuse to believe that. She is a very special one to me. She was the only remaining person to remind me of Shirako."

"Ruri-chan," Meriko kneeled, stroking the girl's hair. "You were shunned by your friends? I know that you often played alone with your doll, Kamakama-chan. For a child, you have very interesting imagination."

The little girl only blushed shyly, taking refuge by her aunt's waist.

"I, Fuumi Meriko hereby give you my blessing. May you live a happy life and be protected from harm and misfortune." Meriko had to admit that inwardly, seeing an innocent child made her feel soothed inside.

"Thank you, Fuumi-sama," the aunt gave her a low bow.

"That girl was touched by a youkai, did she not?" Meriko asked with sympathy in her voice.

"Yes, it was said that it was a cursed touch."

"No, it wasn't," Meriko concurred, the knowledge coming to her as naturally as if it was common knowledge to her. "But then, believe and have faith, this is as far as I am able to help. I only help in strengthening the wills of people I help. It is their will and belief that allows me to do what I am doing."

"You have my thanks again," the woman gave a very low bow and retreated from the ever tightening mass of people.

"Can you heal my hand here?" a moustached man showed her the stump of his left hand. "A youkai bit it off, and while I'm at it, can you make me rich?"

"No," Meriko answered flatly.

"What?" his outrage was apparent, but Meriko steeled herself and gave her reply.

"You do not believe. I can feel it from you. You ask me of great wishes, while you yourself are actually attempting to ridicule me if I shall fail. I only convert what faith you have into reality. To restore living bone, tendon and flesh is a feat in itself, while making you an instant millionaire will only bring more and more selfish wishes like that that will topple the economy and the social balance. Go away, Yamasaru Takashi," she threatened, surprising the man by mentioning his name.

"But… you're a god!" he protested. "You claim to be a god! You're more like a witch! An enchantress! A trickster!"

She acted as if she was not listening, but instead, she held out her hand, and a crackling ball of white hot energy materialized, making quite some people in the crowd to retreat in fear and alarm. "Get lost, and reflect on your words and actions, or don't show your face here anymore," she spoke in a low mutter. The man retreated before breaking into a sprint. The ball of energy in her hand then disintegrated. _That should be a lesson to them all._

"F-Fuumi-sama…" the next man in line spoke uncertainly, perhaps from seeing how the man before him had been rejected in such a way. This man had a square-jawed face and flecks of grey hair among his black. "Is it alright for me to wish for money? I… I really need it right now," he said hesitantly.

"It all depends on the amount of faith," Meriko answered his inquiry. "If you are really in need of money as you claim, then… believe."

"Believe?"

"Yes, I am using your belief to grant your wish," Meriko told the man. "That's how I make miracles work. My power is limited by your beliefs and what you ask."

"Can… can you grant me this? My debtors had been knocking on my door day and night! It's the truth, I swear!"

Meriko approached the man, who was a head taller than her. She put a hand on the man's forehead, an earnest look on her face. "Close your eyes, and believe," she spoke to him. The man shuddered. Meriko held out her other palm. An explosion of threads of light spun itself around her outstretched palm, the blinding flashes of light not unlike a camera flash, followed by a brief but furious movement of the air. The crowd gasped and aahed, but Meriko paid them no heed. "Now open it, and see if your belief is worth any avail." The man opened his eyes. Meriko put something in the man's palm. The man's eyes widened. "Yasaka Hirota," she addressed the man even without him telling her his name beforehand, "this is all that I could summon from the belief you granted me. Your power of belief is plentiful, and I have done my best, so I hope it is enough."

The man looked at what was on his palm. A gold sphere the size of a medical pill was there. "This is…"

"Pure gold," Meriko answered. "Bring it to any trusty jeweler around, and see that I spoke the truth."

"Thank you, thank you, Ofuumi-sama," the man said with a low bow and retreated.

"Excuse me, Ofuumi-sama," another man barreled through. This one has rough, tanned skin, with muscled limbs and a sturdy gait. "Can… can you see to my fields? There is a youkai taking residence there, it eats human flesh! How can I get to work if it's like this?"

"Very well," Meriko replied with a bemused expression, raising an eyebrow. _Ofuumi-sama. Looks like that title will be sticking for a while. _"Let me touch your mind and understand your predicament."

After closing her eyes without even having to touch the man physically like before, she reopened them. "Very well, looks like I have to attend to this trouble myself." And she shot to the air like an arrow.

* * *

_[Background Music switches to "__東方 __[Piano] Apparition Stalk the Night" from kkcwkoh]_

"Youkai," right after landing, Meriko addressed the ball of darkness milling about in the garden of sweet potatoes. "Rumia, Youkai of The Dusk!" she called out.

"Is… that… so…?" the sphere of darkness answered with a tired drawl. "Can't I even have an afternoon nap? The sun is too bright… But once I fall asleep, my ball of darkness disappears, it hurts! The sun hurts! So now I'm sleeping with one eye closed! I'm so smart!"

"So just look for a cave or any place that's not bright," Meriko tried to reason.

"Is… that… so?"

"Besides, you are trespassing," Meriko added. "This land belongs to a human."

"Well, Yuuka-sama said we can't get close to the human village if we want to eat humans. She never said anything about getting close to human plantations."

"Do you want me to call her?" Meriko threatened.

"Is that so?" the invisible speaker replied, "No, no, no, no, Yuuka-sama is scaaary. You can't make her do anything. She does all that she wants."

"Fine," Meriko crossed her arms. "She said hello. She's in the village. I can call her if I want."

"Really? Uh, I mean… is that so?"

"Yeah, she wears a red checkered-skirt, and carries a pink umbrella. Her hair is green. That's her, right? I just met her a few moments ago," Meriko continued. The information just seemed to come into her head.

"Uh… is that so?"

"_So…!_" Meriko said teasingly.

"Can I eat you? You smell really nice, like a human. You're a human, right?"

Somehow that 'compliment' made Meriko blush. _Uh, wait, what am I thinking? Focus! Focus! She wants to eat me for Heaven's sake! _"What? Do humans have these wings and all?"

"What wings?"

"You don't see me?" Meriko asked. "Oh yes, I have twelve wings, all razor sharp and ready to tear you apart like the little youkai you are. And I have claws like iron nails, and I have razor sharp iron teeth. Yep, I might smell like human because I'm a witch. I have always wondered how a darkness youkai like you would taste like. I don't see many of your kind in Gensokyo. An old book said that, a darkness youkai heart is among the ingredients needed to make an elixir to prolong life. I can't believe my luck, though. Still, too bad you know Yuuka-san. She might not be pleased to know that I killed you. But then, I could explain that you are acting against her orders, so you deserve that. In fact, I might even share the elixir with her!" As she spoke those words, she sent a mental image of her claimed appearance. Much to her amusement, the ball of darkness shuddered as if vibrating. Then she snapped her fingers.

A black tendril of darkness poked into the sphere, trying to wrap itself around the humanoid youkai inside. A scream resounded, as lasers and balls of light exploded out of the sphere. "Waaaaaah! Get away from me!"

"Is that so?" Meriko mocked, glad that the balls of light were quite sparsely scattered, making dodging unnecessary. "Well, that's just one arm. I have twelve more. Still, I changed my mind. I'll give you one chance to escape. In the count of three: One… Two…"

"You meanieeeeee!" the ball shot through the air. Meriko gave a hearty chuckle.

"Is that so? And don't come back!" she shouted after the sphere growing ever distant.

"Is that so?" Rumia answered her.

Meriko shot a huge laser in the sphere's direction.

BOOM. "ACK!" the ball of darkness disintegrated, as a young girl fell out, dropping to the ground like a shot down bird. Meriko noted from afar that the blonde-haired girl with a diminutive frame was garbed in a black western-styled suit. She fancied she could hear a dull thud as the girl landed among the trees of the forest.

_Hmm… so that's how a youkai looks like. Kinda cute. Good thing Fate introduces me to a weaker one for a first encounter. It's like Stage 1 in games._

"AHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHA! Ahahahahaha!" she burst into laughter. "Kyahahhahahaha! Ahaha! Aha!" _So this is how it feels to be a god! And I'm just starting my ascent!_

_[Background music switches to "__東方 __[Piano] Because Princess Inada Is Scolding Me"]_

But then she turned in alarm at a newcomer stepping into the field of crops. The newcomer was a girl no bigger than the darkness youkai she had just defeated. She had blonde hair topped by a red hat with a bunch of grapes on its front, red eyes, a yellow blouse and black dress covered by a red apron. Her scheme of colors reminded Meriko of an autumn evening, and as she approached, a whiff of smell caught Meriko's nose, which reminded her of sweet potatoes. But then she noticed that the girl was bare-footed.

"Oh, hi, what are you doing here?" the girl asked. "Human?"

Meriko was interested to note that the girl called her human, even with her silvery wings and apparel. "Fuumi no Meriko, pleased to be of your acquaintance."

"It is still kind of too early for me to appear," the girl told her with a piercing stare. "Aki Minoriko, goddess of abundant harvest. I am called the Symbol of Abundance and Plenty, and, seeing that sleeping youkai infesting the field, I have no choice but to do my job."

"You're a goddess?" Meriko asked. She tried to have a measure of Minoriko's level, whether the goddess was really her superior. But she failed to sense anything of that sort, which made her all the more cautious. "Well, um… I am on my ascent to become a human goddess, like Kochiya Sanae," she spoke politely. "Is that okay in Gensokyo?"

"Well, there are eight millions of us, so, it's not going to affect things much, maybe," Minoriko answered. "But still, Gensokyo is a closed world, and a small one at that. I wish you good luck, and please bring good and blessing to this small world of ours."

"You… you know that I'm…"

"From the outside world?" Minoriko's eyes sparkled as she finished Meriko's sentence. "Yes. Someone told us. It won't be something you mortals understand."

Meriko's wings drooped and disappeared together with her silvery fabric made of magic and the crown on her head. She was plain Meriko again. "Aki-sama, do you have any advice?" she asked, sounding like a little girl asking an elder sister.

"Eh? What's with the sudden humbleness?" Minoriko asked in surprise, looking slightly jittery. "Um… um… well…"

"I mean… on being a god." She pleaded, throwing a beseeching glare at the goddess and kneeling in front of the slight-figured girl.

"Um…" Minoriko seemed to try searching for the right words. "Well, be on friendly terms with the humans, keep a good image, and be on good terms with other gods, I don't know, pretty basic things. Look nice, sound nice, and smell nice. Do you like my perfume?"

"It… it's very nice!" Meriko flattered. "It makes me feel thankful for the good harvest! Of sweet potatoes, apples, grapes… everything! From farm to fork, something that most people would take for granted!" The girl knew that gods love flattery.

"Why thank you. I hope you can see me again in autumn. I'll be at my topmost glory then," Minoriko twirled with delight. "Oh, and if you see a god with green hair twirling around, you might want to get away. She's a god of misfortune. Anyways, I'm worried," her tone changed to one of concern. "This summer is too hot for its own good. I hope it won't harm or reduce the harvest. So far the watermelons have been underperforming."

"This summer is… unnatural?"

"Unnatural for Gensokyo, although I've heard other gods say that it's normal for the outside world. No wonder Japan's agriculture is a sick industry. Although yeah, yada, yada, the allocation of land and all those human's complicated terms. But I blame it all on the taint the humans had been spreading since millennia. Ah well, it's nice to chat with you, a fellow goddess. A chat with my sister could turn out annoying sometimes."

And as suddenly as she had appeared, Minoriko went under the shade of trees and disappeared.

_So she acknowledges me as a fellow goddess. _Meriko felt like something had awakened inside her.

"Heh," she cracked a grin, as her wings and lengthened dress of light reappeared with her crown.

_[Background music ends]_

* * *

She returned to the Human Village and went on with granting wishes. The crowd of people had turned smaller, some of them couldn't stand waiting for her to return. The sun was already rising higher as she continued with her work. _I should've made myself a counter._

But after her return, the crowd turned bigger. She granted four more wishes. One of a shopkeeper complaining of lack of customers; another of a love-struck girl who pulled her away from the crowd to tell her of her secret wish, to forget the love which had been troubling her mind; the next one of a boy asking her to make him pass the exams from a particularly fierce teacher who will headbutt her students at any failure; and the next one of a lady complaining of constant nightmares every night, with the last night being the worst.

Some of the wishes, like those involving the future, she could only help, and not guarantee. "It all depends on your belief and faith, and the hands of Fate," she said. "I could only help."

She had to reject three more wishes, like one man who whispered to her to kill his rival, which Meriko rejected with a show of utter disgust. Another was of a middle-aged lady asking Meriko to make her young again. Another was of another lady asking her to curse her neighbor. _Geez, the wishes of these people! I should keep an air of benevolence._

That was when a purple-haired girl slipped between the crowd, asking, "Fuumi-sama," she addressed. "Pardon this untimely interruption. I am Hieda no Akyuu." The girl looked to be of Meriko's age, but her purple eyes carry a glimmer of wisdom that surpassed her young looks. On her hair was a light-pink flower-shaped ornament. Her kimono had yellow flower-patterned sleeves, a green vest, and a shortened hakama skirt separated by a red, white laced obi. "I am curious of your origins," she continued. "So much that I decided to come here myself, in person. I'm a historian, compiling Gensokyo's history and the history of the people in it. Kamishirasawa-san is a close acquaintance of mine, if you know her."

"Who?" Meriko asked the girl.

"Keine-sensei, maybe you've heard of her?"

"MAKE WAY!" a fierce voice interrupted, making the crowd part. Akyuu looked around in alarm. Then, realizing who the owner of the voice was, a frown crossed her face.

"Kotohime-san, what are you doing?" the girl asked the newcomer.

_[Background music: Touhou 3 - Music #07 - Kotohime's Theme ~ Maniacal Princess]_

Kotohime was a redhead lady in her early twenties, garbed in a purple kimono with red flower markings. A yellow bow was in her hair, and her expression was of an over-eagerness that would fit better on the face of a much younger person. "Et tu, Akyuu?" she asked.

"What?" Akyuu replied, not understanding what Kotohime was implying.

"Don't tell me you trusted her that easily?" Kotohime reprimanded, the purple haired-girl taken aback by the redhead's fierceness. "First rule of common sense: If it's too good to be true, then it probably is."

"Uh, wow, coming from you, that's a jewel among jewels," Akyuu said with more than a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Thank you, now can I arrest her?"

"What?" Meriko blurted in surprise. "What for?"

"I am Gensokyo's law officer, the police enforcer! Uh, I mean, law-enforcer, the police officer of Gensokyo!" she exclaimed, convincing Meriko… that she was a weirdo.

"_Self-proclaimed,_" Akyuu muttered under her breath, but audible for all to hear. But Kotohime ignored her.

"Anyways," Kotohime continued her overexcited speech, "You, dear missy, are going with me to the police station! You need to be put under the line of questioning! Any attempts at dishonesty will be punished!"

"Uh… wait, what did I do wrong?" Meriko asked, aghast.

"Guilty until proven innocent!" Kotohime exclaimed.

"It's… the other way round," Meriko and Akyuu spoke in unison.

"Don't you dare question an accepted principle in laaaw!" Kotohime spoke in an attempt to sound sweet. It pretty much failed when she was practically shouting.

"Wait, I'm innocent, but if you mistook me for guilty, what punishment is there?"

"Lock-up. A looong long time in good ol' lock-up," Kotohime replied, as if trying to relish the horrified look on their faces. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle," she added sweetly, "that is, after you're safely locked-up and no longer a threat to society."

"Uh, wait, wait, wait, it sounds like you assumed that I am guilty!"

"Kotohime-san," Akyuu spoke with a sigh. "Please stop this."

"No won't do," the self-proclaimed policewoman replied, and just as Meriko slowly backed away, she pounced on the teenage girl, and with a sudden blur of motion, showing her expertise in martial arts, unhindered by her apparel, she was on top of a facedown Meriko, pinning the girl on the ground. She was already holding the girl's hand together in an armlock behind her back. Meriko's wings, crown and magical extension of her dress disappeared.

"Ow! I… I can't breathe! You're too HEAVY!" she spluttered.

"Shut up, missy," Kotohime lorded over her. "That's for attempting to resist arrest. You come out of nowhere and suddenly you're going to use your powers as a god to trick us all desperate humans. RIGHT? The Human Village is a free self-governed zone, free from all outside influence, and you are now seeking to be the ruler, or something, right? I received tons of complaints over that! A man even said that you wanted to persuade him on wishing to kill his rival!"

"No, I didn't!" Meriko gasped. She realized that some of the villagers were spreading slander behind her back.

"And DON'T CALL ME HAVY!" Kotohime shrieked in an ear-splitting cry. She was shouting in Meriko's ear.

"Kotohime!" Akyuu scolded, raising her voice. It sounded like the purple-haired girl with a slight frame was not used to shouting at people. "Stop it this instant! What makes you think she is evil?"

"Oh, my instinct is never wrong. She holds the same vibes as that shrine-maiden in red-and-white! Everyone knows that Reimu is an extortionist. She's another Reimu, only she's black and silver! Or maybe she's worse, who knows? Wait, she _is _worse."

"At least let her breathe properly!" Akyuu shouted, but even if she coughed from a sore throat from the shout, her voice couldn't match Kotohime's in terms of volume and ferocity.

"What? She's lying. If she really can't breathe, she'll probably be dead already."

"That's the point!"

"Okay, now are you going with me to the police station?" Kotohime asked the girl pinned under her knees.

"No!" Meriko answered insolently.

"What's that? I don't hear you…" Kotohime spoke threateningly. Much to Akyuu's chagrin everyone else in the crowd had retreated a safe distance.

"Do something! She's not being herself today!" Akyuu pleaded.

A few of the men hesitated, but then they couldn't do anything. Kotohime was one of the few in the village endowed with the ability to battle using danmaku, which would make it a messy affair if they were to go against her.

"Nooo!" Meriko repeated, sounding as if on the verge of tears.

"Oh geez, don't go and cry now! I asked nicely but you're the one who's been resisting all this time! Come on! I'll be gentle if you'll cooperate!"

"Stop it!" a man spoke to Meriko's defence. But then, just one sharp glare from Kotohime, and the man retreated like a defeated dog.

"Noooo!" Meriko protested.

"Meriko, cooperate…" Akyuu spoke with a heavy sigh, giving way. "It's not… as bad as the position you are in right now."

"No! You're going to regret this!"

_[Background music ends]_

* * *

Nick walked home behind Mokou and Shika, the immortal leading them on the path back to the Human Village. High above them, the sun was shining fiercely, making Shika wipe her brow every few seconds.

"I wonder what's for lunch," Nick spoke weakly. He convinced them that he can still walk after he regained consciousness and the two girls telling him of what happened. "Wait… I wonder where Meriko could've gone."

"Probably looking round the village," Mokou answered with a shrug.

They reached the familiar scene of wooden houses in a clearing ahead. Slipping through gaps between the houses, they reached the main street, only to see a commotion ahead. Mokou hurried towards the activity while an uncertain Shika and Nick followed.

Their eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Meriko being pinned down by a young lady in kimono. "Wait!" Mokou called out. "She's a guest!"

"Back off! This is a crime scene!"

"What crime?" Akyuu shouted, and profusely coughed again.

"Resisting arrest!" Kotohime answered confidently.

"This is just silly, Kotohi-e!" Akyuu shouted, and coughed again. "Kotohime," she added in a small voice, her throat hoarse from shouting.

"Just come with me already, dammit!" Kotohime yanked Meriko's arms.

"Ack! Ow! Ow! No! You'll regret-," but she suddenly fell silent

Mokou stepped forward. Some of the people in the crowd, recognizing her stepped back in fear. She held a notorious reputation even among the humans.

Suddenly an explosion blew Kotohime's arm into a splatter of blood and meat.

SPLATTER.

Red pieces of meat and bone marrow rained on the crowd, while fine fragments of blood flew through the air, like an unsubtle spray of mist. Even Mokou stepped back in alarm as a splatter of blood stained her clothing.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHH!" the redhead screamed a terrible shriek, falling backwards off the facedown girl, grabbing her profusely bleeding stump. "BIIITCH!"

Hell broke loose. The crowd started to flee in fear, many yelling and screaming. Shika herself felt the unnerving sensation of feeling something slimy on her forehead, which she wiped away to reveal a bit of bloody meat and bone marrow. The sight and realization drained all the blood from her face.

"Ehehe, and bang goes the arm," Meriko slowly stood with a grin and spread her black wings, which was far bigger than Nick remembered. Each one was bigger than a car. Her hand was smoking ominously, releasing a thinning trail of rising black smoke, "Being a god is this unpleasant, huh? Ungrateful humans. Uh…" but then the wings flickered and disappeared. "Wait… I… I…" her tone changed. Meriko sounded uncertain, even scared.

"BITCH! I'm so going to KILL YOU!"

An explosion of danmaku erupted from around Kotohime as the redhead fired at Meriko with a frenzied look of rage twisting her face. Meriko made a pulsating shield of white light to block the barrage, but some of the shots were already hitting nearby houses. Pale-faced, Meriko had a look of utter horror, like someone who had just seen a surprising scene in a horror story.

"Meriko!" Nick called out after her. The girl threw him a look that was beyond guilty, and with a boom, shot to the air like a bullet and was gone from sight.

* * *

_Wow. Just wow. This is the first time I used that swearword in my stories. Maybe I was reminded of Willie's Undying Gensokyo Hatate. You know how I don't swear. At least not with heavy cusses._

_Bit of wisdom: If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Meriko's power is like a hax in itself, or perhaps it is really a hax, so expect it to go wrong, and… it already did. Poor Kotohime. Maybe I made her a little bit too aggravating for her own good. Maybe she woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? And… how can Meriko be something like all-knowing and all-powerful at the same time? That's just against the rules of creating OCs, right? I promise, there is an explanation for it, even if it may come out late, or comes out little by little, very close to the end._

_This story looks like it's going to start its spiral towards darkness soon, does it? Kotohime, I feel bad for her, again._

_This is my longest chapter ever, I think. Please tell me what you think._

_Teaser: Next chapter, chapter 13, may be one of the greatest turning points in my story yet. I was waiting for it since the beginning. Let's hope I'll make it. Besides, 13 is my favorite number. Oh wait, how can you tell?_


	13. 1st Insanity Crescendo Hidden Character

**_WARNING: THE BEGINNING IS QUITE DARK. VERY DARK, IN FACT, EVEN IF I HAD TONED IT DOWN A BIT. Read at your own risk. _**

* * *

"_The power to create or the power to destroy?_

_Which would you choose, given the choice?_

_I love destruction, so I picked the power to create,_

_So I can create toys to destroy, _

_And toys to destroy other things." – the Black Princess. _

* * *

**Chapter 13: First Insanity Crescendo – The Hidden Character**

_[Background music starts: (__東方__) White Falls' Unknown Girls by hakugin (__白銀__)] [Make sure the music was clear enough to provide the haunting atmosphere]_

Few realized that there was another main character in this story. And yet she was always there, hidden, nearly invisible, and when her existence was noticed, it was overlooked, or dismissed with self-made explanations, assumptions from the ignorant reader.

* * *

_Eight years ago._

The teenage girl with long black hair walked in a daze, the sinking sickening feeling returning to her stomach. Her entire being was not feeling right, not since she played with the Ouija board.

Visions terrible would appear inside her mind, and all around, her sight had become unreliable. Everywhere she looked there would be a prickling, disturbing feeling, and the illusion of shadows playing around in the corners. Red eyes, yellow glowing eyes would lurk under every corner. She giggled, a hair-raising sound, a giggle void of sanity.

And yet tears were leaking down her eyes. She lost more than everything. She felt dirty, tainted. She felt betrayed. She hated herself. She hated the world. She hated everything.

It was not the first time. The monster had defiled her, putting her into inner torment for quite some time now, which felt like an eternity. The despicable monster that she no longer viewed as a human being. The monster she loathed with her entire being, just thinking about the person revolted her, making her feel seriously like throwing up. She held her breath, as merely the thought drained the blood from her face and made her stomach feel uneasy.

_I HATE HIM!_

The scream filled her mind. Tears were still flooding her eyes. She broke to a sob at the corridor.

It was past midnight. She was plodding alone at the apartment block, passing through the empty corridor.

_Kill him, kill him, kill him. Dice him… poke his eyes out. Play with his entrails… Hamstring his hamstring… Pull out his entrails… Break those filthy organs of his! Pull out his ribs! Tear out his cheeks! Shatter his teeth! That monster deserves worse than all that!_

Whispers filled her head. Mental images of corpses flashed across her mind. Yet for some strange reason they filled her with elation. But she was still crying. Her eyes were unfocused, her face dazed, her hair ruffled, her complexion paler than ever as she passed through the silent corridor.

_They never knew me… They never understood me… They never see my problems… Why can't you see through my pretence of happiness! My pretence of cheerfulness! Some friends you all are! All fools! All fools! All you know is perfect Rika, perfect Rika! Cheerful Rika! Smart Rika! Charismatic Rika! We're all so jealous, jealous, jealous of perfect Rika! Rika the nerd! Arrogant Rika! The girl who never really had any friends! Any real close friends! You all don't know the hell HE made me go through! The disgusting HELL!_

She broke into sobs again, flattening herself against the wall and then sinking onto the ground. Mental images of her suffering at the hands of the abusive person who was a person she was supposed to love crossed her mind.

_Shika understood, she always understands. She saw it in my eyes. Even if at her age, she has no idea what it truly means. Mother, stupid mother, if I tell her this it would break her like a glass flower. That foolish woman._

And the monster had threatened her, not to spill the secret to anyone, lest her little sister and even her mother would have to face the consequences. The monster promised he would make sure of that, grinning in an obscene way that she found loathsome and frightening at the same time.

Raging and despairing thoughts filled her mind in a confusing cacophony. And since she used the Ouija board, it had turned worse, now the rage and despair were mixed with gory thoughts of the person's demise, a perverse sense of pleasure from imagining the person's suffering in his death throes.

A whisper returned to her head. It was gone a few moments before, and now it assaulted her again. _I'm helping you, Rika, I'm helping you do it yourself! _Even inside her mind, the whisper sounded hideously frightening. And yet, there she was, compelled to follow as if in a hypnotized trance.

She had known from a long time ago that spirits existed, and that they were all around. She was one gifted to sense their presence, even if it would merely be a feeling; she couldn't see or hear them. And a few hours ago, outraged, frustrated and at the edges of sanity, she made a crazy decision; to make the spirits help her revenge.

_CAN YOU KILL MY FATHER?_

_YES._

Calling out to the spirits with the help of her spiritual consciousness, in a spot where she felt their cold, disturbing presence the strongest, a spot where other people steered away from, for that was where it was said that a girl committed suicide a year back. To her surprise, it felt as if something was pulling her finger as she played, in the dark of the night.

The spirit would not tell its name, no matter how she tried. And yet in its choices of words, it seemed to sympathize with her predicament. And then after the part where the spirit agreed to kill her father for her, she fell unconscious. Her consciousness returned with her being in a different place some time later with a scissor and a bottle of chloroform in her hands. And her mind was no longer fully her own. And yet it filled her with a perverse pleasure.

Continuing her way to her house, she unlocked the door grill before the door itself. Dawn would come in a less than an hour, so she decided to be quick. She went to her bedroom, where her little sister was sleeping soundly, without any care for the world. The sight made her feel sad, realizing what she was about to do. _Shika's much braver than me, _she thought. At the age of six, the girl was already used to sleeping all by herself in a room. She slowly went onto the little girl's bed and lied by the softly breathing girl in pajamas. Brimming with emotion, she broke into a sob and tears started to overflow from her eyes again. She hugged the little girl close to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

_This world is cruel to me, Shika. I hate this world, and I would've taken you with me, but I know… I know you won't want to go. You're… still very young! And now I need to get rid of that vile monster… lest my fate becomes yours._

"Mika-nee…" At first Rika thought that the little girl was moaning in her sleep. And yet, there it was, the pristine innocent face turned to look at her with sleepy eyes blinking curiously.

Of all people, only her sister would call her Mika, which was an alternative reading of one of the Kanji characters that made up her name. In Japanese, the Katakana for 'Mi' would look like the Kanji for 'three,' while 'Shi' means 'four.' It was something like a sign of the special bond between them, a special name that bound them both.

"Shika," she hugged the little girl tighter, sobbing all the more, warm tears dripping down onto the little girl's hair. "I love you," she spoke softly, "more than everything else in this world."

Unknown to the little girl, she was hiding a chloroformed handkerchief behind her back, and with one quick movement of her arm, the little girl sunk into unconsciousness.

Wiping away her tears, she made her way into the next room, where the loathsome monster was still snoring, its breath reeking of alcohol.

The next morning, Shika woke up scared and confused, all alone, locked in her own room, as the door refused to budge. Whimpering, she noticed the paper stuck on the door, instructing her to dial 110, and read the words written in hiragana on the paper.

Moments later, the police came, breaking the lock and rescuing her from the locked room, and despite the officer wanting to help carry her out, she ran out of the room, calling out, "Nee-chan!"

And then she saw the sight that she would never forget her entire life: The hanging corpse of Sonoyuki Rika. The little girl screamed as she had never screamed before. The police officer carried her away hastily, covering her eyes as she howled and struggled.

"NEEEE-CHAAN! NEEE-CHAAANNNNNN!"

The police found the father's corpse in the next room, the remains gruesome enough to qualify as being torn apart by Jack the Ripper himself. Every knife in the house was there, together with needles and razors. And neatly placed on the table was a black pocket diary, side by side with the man's disemboweled heart, which was sliced and pounded into an unrecognizable mass of red meat and held in place by a hundred bloody needles. The sight of the crime scene had left a mental scar even among the police officers.

The mother, having returned from her business trip, swooned and fainted when she heard the news. She broke into uncontrollable sobs that rose into an ear-piercing howl of despair, as if she had lost her mind. Since then, Shika never dared to mention her sister or her father in front of her mother.

* * *

_Sad story, isn't it? _A voice whispered in Meriko's mind as she walked under the shade of the trees in a daze.

When she flew and left the village, Mokou shot to the air, and was about to chase after her when she conjured an illusion of herself disappearing into a gap midair not unlike Yukari's. The immortal, realizing that she would be better off trying to handle the havoc caused by a berserk Kotohime, retreated.

"_You! It's you, isn't it! I thought you're gone already! Years ago!" _she shouted angrily in her mind, then realizing she was actually talking aloud.

_Yes, I was never gone. I was always there inside you. Now I am no longer the insane me eight years ago, Meriko. In fact, now I AM you yourself. I am always there, deep inside you, manipulating your subconscious._

"No! I will suppress you! And I shall find a way to drive you out and send you to the world where you truly belong!" Meriko shouted to the air like a madwoman. The voice tried to speak, but Meriko suppressed it, and it turned silent. Then images and flashes of thoughts she had not seen for years assaulted her mind. It even affected her senses, as the edges of her vision started to blur. She fought back with all her might and the assaults subsided, leaving her feeling mentally exhausted.

_She's trying to take control. Who knows what will happen if she succeeds._

But the flashes of information into her mind made her realize a fact she never knew before. The spirit residing in her body was the ghost of her best friend's sister.

When she was six, the police had asked her uncle, a Shinto priest, to exorcise a cursed diary. It was said to have driven two men from the forensic team investigating the piece of evidence mad. Not knowing that at the time, as if guided by a foreign will, she found the diary in her uncle's room and started to read the neat handwriting of the girl referring to herself in the diary as Mika.

But then a flash of thought exploded through her mind, so intense that it made her scramble away in fear, her foot slipping and tumbling down the steep stairs of her uncle's house as blood started to drip out from a wound made as her forehead got grazed by the edge of the railing. She got thirteen stitches at the nearby hospital

But she was not the same person as before. Everywhere she went, she had the feeling as if something was following her, as if something was _with _her. Foreign images, whispers and flashes of thought would disturb her mind, and she knew it was not her own. It gave her nightmares when she slept, of blood and perverse abuse, things a girl her age was never meant to know. She turned more withdrawn, and yet did her best to act normal, what with her strict parents not liking any hints of a weak character from their child. Her father would scold her if she would ever cry or sulk and she had learnt to control her feelings since an early age.

Few would ever guess that there was anything wrong with her. In fact, she appeared much more matured than other girls her age, something her parents were proud of. And yet she would have mood swings, when the assaults on her mind would return and made her truly understand the concept of insanity earlier than most other children. At times when it was the worst, she even had hallucinations.

She felt tainted and impure. She knew that there was something wrong with her.

When she was eight, again at her uncle's house, she took a huge book on rituals and found out about a ritual to cleanse a person from bad luck, curses, and the influence of evil spirits by summoning the services of a god. She couldn't read some of the kanji written, but decided to try it anyway. She jotted down the details, and sneaking out, conducted it on herself in the shrine grounds by her uncle's house at the dead of night. The shrine belonged to her family on her father's side.

Much to her horror, the roof of the temple burst into flames, and she swooned, falling down unconscious. Someone from the neighborhood had phoned the fire department. Her consciousness returned before the fire trucks had arrived, so she quickly sneaked between her family and relatives who were rushing out of her uncle's house in a panic. The fire was put out, but years later, investigators were baffled to the cause of the incident. There was even a documentary made, trying to put forth a theory on how the roof of the shrine mysteriously caught fire, the theory involving ball lightning, spontaneous combustion and the kind.

Much to her surprise, since then, the assaults on her consciousness had abated, and she found out that she had abilities of her own. Everything was normal to her since then for years to come, yet she realized that she was always different from others. Dark and perverse ideas would sometimes come into her mind, yet it felt like coming from her own self.

Returning back to the present, Meriko realized that this was the first time in her life for her to realize that the thing that had twisted her mind early in life had a name. In fact, it was the first time she truly grasped its sentience, being the first time she saw the story being arranged in full. It was even the first time she saw Shika in it.

Now she tried to hold herself together. If she lost control, then worse things than an exploding arm might happen.

Now she wondered if she could ever return to the Human Village. The self-proclaimed police officer would never forgive her. She knew that explanations would do no good. The other villagers would probably think of her as a threat and menace, capable of hurting with mere thoughts.

She sat and hugged her knees, as the thoughts continued to creep in her mind, sometimes intensifying to the extent of her fancying that she saw flashes of white playing around at the edges of her vision while a creepy hum crept into the edges of her hearing.

* * *

She must have fallen asleep, as when she woke up the sun was already lowering itself into the horizon. The forest was now a golden hue, bathed by the sunset light. Birds flew, returning home from their daily shift.

Meriko hesitantly came to the conclusion that she would still need to return. She would have to attribute the blowing arm incident to an evil spirit inside her. She would need to ask Keine or Mokou if there would be anyone who could drive out the unholy entity. Besides, spending the night in the middle of nowhere, away from human company didn't seem like a tempting idea. Who knew what kind of youkai would lurk at night. She may defeat some of them using her new found powers, but if they turned out stronger or too many for her to handle… she'd be in deep trouble. And even if she was the strongest in Gensokyo, for example, she'd still be as vulnerable as any other person while sleeping, not to mention the lack of comfort in sleeping outdoors.

Standing up, she slowly and carefully made her way among the trees, heading back to the Human Village. She was not really sure why she chose to walk instead of flying. Maybe because walking would give her more opportunity to reflect on her thoughts. It was also much more calming, helping her to release pent-up stress.

She kept plodding through the undergrowth as all around, the air got cooler and the symphony of cicadas rose to a deafening crescendo. The forest was now bathed in red light. It made her wonder if she was really heading in the right direction, and soon, as if time was mocking her by pressing the fast-forward button, the light turned a shade of purple. The beauty of natural light made her feel calmer as she took in the sight of day changing to night.

But that was right when she had the horrible sensation of cold claws and fingers wrapping themselves around her heart. The whispers in her mind started to rise into a maddening susurration. Even the hums were eerily audible in her head, like a haunting orchestra sung by restless ghosts. Meriko did her best trying to block them out, to silence them and plunge them back into the dark unknown depths of her mind.

She tried to focus her mind on something else, anything that could be a distraction. That was when a pair of voices caught her ears. Human voices. It appeared to be the voices of a young man and a young woman, the speakers not yet in her sight, but the words were carried through the summer air with a clarity that made her feel as if she was listening right by a window.

"Edowa!" the woman's voice pleaded, sounding at the verge of tears. "You promised to marry me! You promised!"

"Get away you dirty woman! Why would I marry someone who probably had slept with some other guy, or guys for all I know," the man's voice scoffed, the voice bitingly cold and filled with loathing, evidence of an unpleasant personality.

"_Some other? Some other guy? You're the only one to have even touched me!" _the woman retorted, sounding harassed and appalled at the cruel accusation, her voice cracked as if crying.

"Shut up you lying bitch! Go and hang yourself and that bastard child in your rotten belly!" the cold voice roared back without any hints of mercy.

"_How… how could you…_" the repressed tone broke into sobs.

Meriko accidentally stepped on a twig, the cracking sound making the arguing couple jerk back in alarm. It turned out that they were just close by, merely a stone throw from her, but was blocked from her view by a tree trunk.

The woman seemed to be merely two or three years over Meriko's age, while the man was around the woman's age. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and there was a slight bulge on the young woman's stomach. While she was dressed in a decent-looking flower-patterned dress, the makeup on her face was ruined from crying, looking like an ugly smear by a clumsy stylist.

The young man, meanwhile, would have looked handsome if it wasn't for the loathsome haughty expression on his face. His skin was fair, his nose was slightly upturned, but not to the extent of ruining his visage. His hair was tied back in a bun, like a samurai from the medieval ages, while a few strands of hair poked out over his forehead like an anglerfish's lure. Hung on the obi sash at the waist of his kimono was a katana in its scabbard.

"How revolting," Meriko broke the awkward silence between them. "And to think, that this silly girl here is the sixth one that you broke." She had seen the thoughts of the playboy. It was filled with flashes of thoughts, intentions and memories of deeds that made her stomach churn. "And just because you hold a fancy stick, you threatened them, and silenced them, Edowa Hideshi."

The man was appalled by what Meriko revealed of his true nature. But after a moment of stunned silence, he broke into laughter, "Ahaha! You know too much! You witch! I don't know who you are, but you, just some girl from the village, what can you do against me? I am Edowa Hideshi, one of the village's best fighters. Close to none can best me in a battle of blades. I'll make sure to separate the head from the bodies of those who dared to oppose me. Not only this sword is blessed by godly Spells of Sharpening, I am the village's sword prodigy!"

But then a black blade pressed itself against his neck. He trembled in fear at the realization. Meriko was now holding a blade of an impossible length and size made of black solidified energy, looking large enough to skewer through a bus along its length. "Ehehen. You don't know who I am?" she snapped the fingers of her other hand, and her dress elongated into the magical long-sleeved robe she wore when she played the god part, complete with the silvery wings and crown. The glow of her wings and apparel even wiped away the purple of twilight from the vicinity, bathing them with a divinely pure white light. "Does this ring any bells?"

"Sh-," the man was about to curse, but Meriko cut his sentence short.

"You know, I would have considered letting you go, but, AHAHA, AHA, AHHAHAHAHAHHHAHA! I'VE SEEN WHAT YOU WERE THINKING OF DOING TO ME, YOU FILTHY PIECE OF SWINE'S SEED!" her laughter rose into an insane cackle. An insane flash of red crossed her pupils, and a frightening aura of power exploded around her, like a bomb blast, flattening quite a few trees around, just as the colossal blade became a lengthening arm of shadow with claws the size of helicopter rotor blades.

The pregnant girl ran away screaming, and as the dust and debris carried by the sudden explosion cleared, it revealed Meriko floating above ground with the pair of imposing colossal black wings from her back. The massive shadow arm was acting as an extension of her own arm, and held precariously by the shadowy claws was the boastful swordsman, the arm lifting him off the ground.

"Ehehen, can I snap your neck?" Meriko asked playfully.

"No, please have mercy! Have mercy!" Edowa cried out in genuine fear, so much that he was wetting himself in his pants.

"Tcheh," Meriko clicked her tongue. "It would've been as easy as snapping in half a mechanical pencil lead!" her voice rose to an eerie pitch. "But, no, I won't do that, you don't even deserve a neck-snapping death, the hateful blob of filth you are, it taints me just touching you with my arm of might and holding you fifty feet away," she spoke in a low but clear mutter. Strangely even the cicadas were silent as she spoke, leaving a disturbing void of silence. "I promise I won't break your neck. Go!"

To Edowa's wonder, the ghastly hand released him, and he fell to the ground on his bottom. Despite the pain, he picked himself up, and broke to a sprint, running as he had never ran before his entire life. But to his horror, the ground was moving as he ran as if the earth beneath his feet was a giant treadmill, bringing him nowhere.

"Aaaahaahaaaa…" Meriko taunted, more like a drawl than a laugh. "Did I say that I'll let you live?" She asked just as the shadowy extension caught a screaming Edowa between its claws again. But realizing that his right hand was free, he grabbed the hilt of his sword and was about to slice the shadowy hand with a hefty blow.

"AAAAAARRRGHHH!" a horrible scream of pain, as the katana had passed through the shadowy arm as if it wasn't there and landing heavily onto his knee. He effectively sliced off his own left leg by accident, the limb dropping onto the ground, looking like something in a cannibal's slaughterhouse.

"Ouuuuch…" Meriko sneered playfully. "That musssst really hurt! Bet you're regretting putting Sharpening Spells on that stick right now. As I said, I won't break your neck, _but_ I'll break the face that had lured stupid girls into destruction…" her voice lowered into a sinister whisper.

With a sound like something crashing and dragging through the undergrowth, Meriko practically wiped the forest floor with the unfortunate man's face. He couldn't even scream, as in just a few seconds later, his lower jaw was torn off by the violent friction. Twigs and rocks tore at his face, the eyeballs the first to be damaged beyond the point of no return. Satisfied as he turned silent, Meriko left him to bleed to death, if he wasn't already dead to begin with. Either way she didn't care enough to even find out. "Cats play with their food," she muttered as if to her own self, and left the bleeding corpse. "And I'm bored already."

Her wings disappeared, and she returned back to her ordinary appearance. She seemed to feel delight from every movement of her body, and she skipped with every step, even twirling around with a gleeful smile on her face. "AHHAHA! Now… after so many… so many years! Ehehen. Ahaha!"

Around her, the sky had darkened. She snapped her fingers, and a white light hovered above her, throwing a white light over herself, an angel of doom. "Show yourself, Yakumo Yukari," she welcomed with a superior tone.

"Ara," the lady in purple dress emerged from a gap high above, sitting on the edge of the gap calmly, her face not losing the playful expression it often wore. "Why good evening, Meriko? Or should I say, not Meriko?"

"I am Meriko," Meriko answered, beaming and giving a slight bow.

"Well, did you have a good night's sleep, Not-Meriko?"

"Yes, it was very refreshing, Yakumo-san," Meriko answered.

"Of course it would be, with you hopping from dream to dream and giving everyone nightmares. Then you took in all their fears into your own, making yourself the ultimate youkai. That would explain your IMPOSSIBRU increase in powers, and not to mention how you snatched some bits of information every here and there from the minds of every sentient being you haunted in their dreams. That's how you became the all-knowing god, eh? And whatever information you didn't pick during your nightmare spree, you gathered using your mind-reading powers."

"Ehehen. You sure it was me?" Meriko tilted her head, beaming at the youkai like a child proudly showing off her piece of art.

"There is only one truth. The culprit, is you, SONOYUKI RIKA!" she pointed with a finger, the overdramatic gesture appearing deliberately exaggerated.

"Ehehen. Who's Sonoyuki Rika? My friend's name is Shika, not Rika," she dismissed.

"Ah, but I am more than sure, World Destroyer," Yukari affirmed, lowering her voice. Despite her playful bearing, her seriousness was clearly visible.

"Now why would you call me that, Miss Detective?" Meriko asked as if she was completely ignorant to what Yukari was implying.

"What do you think, people? This level of reasoning is possible for Yakumo Yukari!" And after realizing that Meriko, and many readers who are reading this part right now, did not get the reference, she continued nonchalantly, "If my deductions are correct, than I shall have to eliminate you, as you would be a threat to Gensokyo's very existence, and yet, I'm giving you a chance. My arguments can only be broken if you present a stronger argument. Just saying 'I'm innocent' won't change anything at all."

"Very well," Meriko snapped her fingers. A chair made of the same material as her wing materialized and she sat on it, the chair rising to the air so that Meriko could sit eye-to-eye with the Youkai of Boundaries. "Some of your guesses, my Lady, is correct, I commend you for that, but some of them, are way off. You must think that I'm lying, but I'm not the one who was breaking into other people's dreams and twisting them. I only hitched a ride, on the real culprit!"

"Ah, so my guess was off?" Yukari asked, tilting her head, her expression excited.

"Wait, before that. How did you know my name?"

"Well, I have many, many tricks up my sleeve…' Yukari replied in an easygoing manner. "I have many ways of knowing things that I'm not supposed to. So you hitched a ride on this, real culprit? Who is she?"

"She? You're too quick to assume it's a female," Meriko, or rather, Sonoyuki Rika replied.

"Well, knowing the way this universe works, so far there are no incidents caused by a male character. Ask Fate, I don't know," Yukari shrugged. "So who is the culprit?"

"Okay, here's something for you to consider, Yukari-sama. It's not me. I only hitched a ride on the evil entity hopping about from dream to dream. Think about it: How can I be in many minds at one time? I'm just an evil spirit. I only had 8 hours, which is... ah, 28800 seconds, not enough time to go through Gensokyo's whole population. They all have very complex dreams.

"This is how it happened: While the whole Gensokyo slept, that being got its enormous hold on many dreams at once, all at the same time, which explained how it could reach into thousands of dreams in just a short time. People can't fight against the streams of the subconscious that we call dream while they're sleeping. But my case, that is, our case, was different. Meriko may have been sleeping, but I was not. Being an entity nestled in her mind and soul, I fought back the assault. I ended up foiling the attack on little Meriko's mind, and ended up riding on it instead. You can say that it was like hacking a computer program.

"And let me tell you this, one thing you need to understand about Meriko, she's a natural. She's one human with immense spiritual strength, I would say it's more than a hundredfold of a normal human. Before I got inside her, I turned two grown up men mad just with a touch, and yet there she was, a little girl barely half my height at that time, that I possessed, and yet she was barely affected. In fact, it became the other way round. Instead of me turning her insane, her overwhelming spiritual strength suppressed me instead, and made me regain my sanity. No wonder they call her Amaterasu's next reincarnation. But, yes, in turn, I suppressed that spiritual power of hers. In fact, I took it all for my own, and even granted her favors, endowing her with petty abilities.

"I was the one to manipulate her subconscious all these years, creating this amazing girl with a magnificent personality. She's sooo like a little sister to me! Besides, I was like a guardian angel to her, ehehen. In fact, if you hadn't saved her life that night, I would. From the accumulation of Meriko's powers over the last twelve years, I'm quite strong. And from last night's spree, me riding whatever consciousness that was raging through people's dreams, I got even waaay stronger.

"I'm an evil spirit, a youkai. That might explain why Meriko dislikes gods? And their so-called sacred grounds? But you'll see that I'm different from other evil spirits. And last night, half the fears of all the sentient beings of Gensokyo, were so... very delicious.

"Nuh uh, I'm not going to tell you who that culprit is. It is sooo going to destroy this little world of yours. And how, did you think I could escape safely after hacking through the dreamland assault and realizing who or what was causing all this? You can say it was something like, a pact I made with that entity. We decided to share. Even if you destroy me, you'll destroy just a pawn.

"And now, while I'm at it, can I eat you?"

"And I thought Yuyuko has quite an appetite. Sure, I'm delicious," Yukari answered with a lighthearted shrug. "But you know, for a ghost, your proficiency with magic amazes me. Like, how you are spinning a barrier trap while talking at length with me, and planning to capture me with it."

"Ehehen, what happened to the shikigami offer?" Meriko asked, mirroring Yukari's playful attitude.

"Sure, I'll offer you that after you're done eating me," Yukari spoke pleasantly. "But I'm afraid not. I was making that offer for Meriko-chan, and it seems that she is not available at the moment."

"That's where you're mistaken," Meriko, or rather, Sonoyuki Rika contradicted. "I _am _Meriko and Meriko _is _me. Half of her thoughts and actions were actually me manipulating her subconscious. If I leave this body, Meriko will not be Meriko anymore."

"She'll be Me-ko?" Yukari asked. "Well, you know, removing the 'Ri' character from her name," the gap youkai pointed out. The kanji '利' (Ri) in Meriko was the same 'Ri' in Rika. Yukari was implying that Rika was a being nestled inside Meriko, making her the Meriko everyone else knew, just as how the 'Ri' was a part of the name. She was suggesting that removing Rika from Meriko's body will leave a Meriko who was no longer Meriko.

"I see you understand. You know how Fate is such a bad comedian," Meriko shrugged. "In fact, the coincidental similarity between me and the little girl named Fuumi Meriko startled even me. Even the same character for 'Ri.' So I made her into another me, so that until the time comes for me to be strong enough to swallow her soul whole, I'll have a body of my own. And then, you came and brought me, brought us, away from the mundane world. It was a dream come true indeed. For that I am forever indebted to you."

"Will that stop you from eating me?" Yukari continued her teasing manner. "I see that you're still crafting that barrier spell to capture me."

"I know, it's a pity if I was to eat you before giving you a chance to understand everything."

"Just eat me, dammit!" Yukari teased again, not shouting but with a sweetened tone. "Sure, real useful information when I'm about to be eaten. How I should really pity the person who is going to eat me."

"At least you won't think too badly of me, now that you understand me better," Meriko jested, still wearing the exaggerated smile she always used when being sarcastic.

"Sure, poor, poor you, to have nobody understanding you that you'll have to express your feelings onto a plate of food! Why to me, and not to a bowl of rice instead?" Yukari shrugged.

"You know, you're a fun one to talk to. Although, I still wonder, how did you know my name, up to even the Kanji characters?" Meriko asked.

"Well, you're not the only one able to play with the boundary between dreams and reality," Yukari revealed the extent of her understanding of the being that was Meriko. "Pretty nice power you have there."

"Like I said, I hacked the spell of that other entity who was the real one responsible for all the nightmares," Meriko explained. "I got a portion of its power. So, anything more to interest me?"

"Anything more to interest me?" Yukari mimicked.

"No."

"No. So ends the trolling competition, huh?" Yukari trolled.

"Yep."

"Did I win?"

"Sure, I don't mind declaring you the winner," Meriko spoke pleasantly, just as she snapped her fingers.

CRACK.

A barrier of light burst around Yukari, but instead of trapping the youkai, it became the shape like a wobbly crescent moon, with the youkai not being inside the barrier.

"I know. It was supposed to be a square trapping me inside, right?" Yukari sneered. She had bent the boundary between what was straight and what was curved. "Bounded Field – Boundary of Life and Death!"

As she declared her spell card, a magnificent flurry of different kinds of danmaku burst out from around her, creating a brilliant display of balls of light of varying size and color. Some of them were red and disc-shaped, larger than she was, some of them were large solid orbs of blue, some of them were pill-shaped and white, and some of them had ghostly wings, shaped like butterflies, just to name a few.

Meriko, realizing that Yukari was bent on destroying her, zoomed forward like an arrow, retaliating with four piercing lasers that shot right through Yukari's array of danmaku and went past her from her left, her right, above her and below her. And just as the gap youkai remained fixed in place, the beams narrowly missing her, Meriko summoned something else just as the first wave of danmaku reached her.

Yukari was expecting Meriko to finish her off with another laser straight to her face, because she was rendered unable to move as the lasers continued to hem her in at the midair location she was in. So she prepared herself to summon a gap to swallow Meriko's next blast, but what Meriko summoned next took her by surprise.

It was Hakurei Reimu.

Meriko held the shrine maiden by the scruff of her neck as if the girl was just a life-sized doll. It appeared that the black-haired shrine maiden in a red and white set of dress with detached sleeves was in deep sleep. Even if she didn't have her youkai night sight she would be able to recognize Reimu's silhouette from the large red ribbon in her head and her bare shoulders.

Yukari realized that her enemy was using Reimu as a human shield.

At the nick of time, Yukari changed the nature of the gap she was summoning and used it to swallow Reimu instead, only to realize that the sleeping shrine maiden was just a vivid illusion created from Meriko's powers.

And right in the second that Yukari was distracted by the eye opener, Meriko summoned a gap of her own and despite it being twisted by Yukari's boundary of straight-and-curve bending, it still caught the Youkai of Boundaries and gulped her inside whole.

"How ironic, for the legendary manipulator of barriers to be caught inside a barrier herself. As they say, sometimes even a kappa gets swept by the current," Meriko muttered to herself. But she knew that Yukari was able to hear her. The lady was trapped in a dimension Meriko created herself, something like a mini-dream world. She made sure that the dimension was one able to counter Yukari's dimension-tearing ability. "And now, for a family reunion."

* * *

_[Background Music paused]_

"Meriko is still not back, isn't she?" Shika asked dolefully, as Mokou entered the living room with a grim-faced Akyuu. They were at Keine's house, having a dinner of porridge.

Mokou shook her head, her expression even blanker than ever.

"Kotohime…" Akyuu spoke. "She was still crying like mad when I saw her just now. She was a real mess that I doubt that the incident didn't affect her mentally."

"I searched for Meriko for miles around," Mokou told them. "No signs so far. Maybe she did really go far away. Akyuu asked the Hieda household to search the entire Human Village. If Meriko still doesn't return by tomorrow morning, I'll try to see if the tengus can help. Or…" Mokou let out a sigh, "maybe Yukari."

"She'll be back later," Shika assured them.

"I'm not really sure…" Nick expressed his disapproval, a frown crossing his face. "There is the chance that she may leave us for good."

"Of course not, silly!" Shika put down her bowl.

"She did leave her family and everyone else that she knows in exchange for a life in Gensokyo. If she can leave them just like that, that means… if she really put her heart into it, she can leave us," Nick's voice trailed away.

"Of course not! I know her well enough! She won't do that!"

"Didn't we all think we knew her?" Nick retorted, raising his voice slightly, sounding irritable. But to his surprise, Shika stormed off to him and gave him a slap in the face.

"YOU! TRY TO UNDERSTAND A LITTLE BETTER WILL YOU!" the petite girl roared, much to everyone else's surprise. Nick only stared at her pale-faced, his cheek flushed from the slap. It was not gentle.

"I… I can't… lose her again…" the girl collapsed onto her knees, sobbing and burying her face into her arms.

Nick only stared at her in confusion and guilt. He blamed himself for not realizing that the girl was under intense emotional stress. For some reasons that he couldn't perceive. _Meriko is that special to her?_

"Sonoyuki-san?" Akyuu went to her with sympathy on her face.

"Go away!" the crying girl told her off, as Nick approached her without her realizing. "And of all people YOU!" Shika pushed him away roughly when she did, knocking him against the table and upturning it, sending spilled porridge all wasted onto the floor.

_Shika, do you miss me?_

"Nee-chan?" the girl asked suddenly, much to the confusion of others in the room. She was the only one to hear the mental whisper, loud and clear in her mind.

CRASH.

A hole was torn open on the roof, sending splinters and wooden beams flying, and for Shika, it appeared as if gravity was reversed all of a sudden as she fell upwards towards the ragged opening.

"STOOOP!" Nick shouted, summoning all his concentration.

For some reason, as he shouted, Shika dropped back towards the floor, but before she could land, she was pulled again upwards by the insane force. "Aaaaaaaah!" she screamed, a child-like sound that Nick would never have thought Shika could make.

But he was quick enough to grab her arm, and got pulled at subsonic speed, just as Mokou spread her wings and shot to the air. But when she burst through the roof, sending even more splinters of wood flying, the two were nowhere to be seen.

And poor Akyuu was left alone to explain to an exasperated Keine as to why there was a hole in the roof. Worse still, the teacher returned home in a headbutt-first-and-ask-questions-later mood.

One moment of silence for sweet Akyu.

Insert dull bump sound here.

* * *

Shika landed on the ground, with Nick playing the part of being the landing cushion, again. After gasps and yells of pain and surprise, Shika got onto her feet.

"Do you know how disturbing it feels to have a girl sitting on me, do you?" Nick scolded her, still flat on his belly, but Shika didn't care.

In front of her was the softly glowing figure of Meriko herself. And yet Meriko looked different, in a way that Shika couldn't explain. She felt that difference, but couldn't attribute it to anything.

"Nick, why are you always being the troublesome shred of meat stuck between my teeth?" Meriko spoke in a low mutter.

CRACKABOOM!

With an almighty deafening resounding boom, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and struck the boy unconscious.

"Meriko-sama! What… what…" Shika asked in a panic, seeing Nick didn't even twitch after the blast.

"It's all but in your heads," Meriko replied sweetly. But much to the shorter girl's surprise, Meriko went to her and hugged her tight like a loving mother, and yet, the hug was strong enough to lift both Shika's feet off the ground as if she was a mere doll. "Shika-chan, Shika-chan, what a fine girl you've grown up to be. Do you remember me?"

"What… what do you mean?"

Then Meriko sang softly in her ears. The song was in English, the lyrics arranged in a soft melody, not unlike a lullaby.

"_Little prin~cess,_

_Up her crystal tower,_

_Like~ a pale flower,_

_Like a pale flower,_

_Little prin~cess,_

_Up her crystal tower,_

_The kingdom in her power,_

_The kingdom in her power,_

_Little prin~cess,_

_Yet her face is sour,_

_Like a closed flower,_

_Like a closed flower,_

_Little prin~cess,_

_She'll watch every hour,_

_Watch every hour,_

_Watch every hour,_

_Little prin~cess,_

_Up her crystal tower,_

_What are you waiting for,_

_What are you waiting for?"_

At this the half-lullaby paused.

"'_Someone to be my friend…'" _Meriko ended, the last sentence sounding like a sad little girl's longing.

"M-Mika-nee?" Shika asked, her eyes enlarged in utter shock. It was a song she had heard before, a song her sister would whisper as she would lie down in her tiny bed, as her sister would pull the drapes up to her chin, before saying,

"_Shika-chan, everyone needs a friend. A friend is not just a friend. It means someone whom you love very much, trust very much, understand very much, and understand you very much. You're my princess, Shika, I hope you'll make a friend soon."_

As a child, Shika was a very shy one and would not even speak to other children, despite the teachers knowing that she was actually quite intelligent for her age.

"_But, but you're my friend, Mika-nee!"_ she would reply.

"_I know, but I can't always be there for you, right?"_ Sonoyuki Rika would reply.

At this, Shika burst into tears like a little child. "Uwaaaa… Mika… Mika-nee-chan… Nee-chaaaaan! Where… where were you all this time!" she cried out, hot tears flowing fast on her cheek and off her chin onto Meriko's front.

"I'm always… watching you," Meriko replied softly, stroking Shika's hair. "It's been a long time, Shika, it's been a long time. You've grown up to be a fine little princess."

Shika was still sobbing. "What… Meriko?" she asked.

_[Background music resumes]_

"I am Meriko. Meriko is me," Sonoyuki Rika replied. "I was just awakened. I was always there, watching from inside your friend Meriko. Fate brought us together. We were fated to never actually leave each other's sides."

"From… inside, Meriko?" Shika asked, confused.

"I was dead, but my spirit entered Meriko's body when she was a little girl. I shaped her to be another me, to be a good friend for you. Imagine my excitement when you entered the same Middle School as her. I was the one to give the mental suggestion for you to befriend Meriko!"

"What… what do you mean?" Shika was still puzzled. It was kind off too much for her to truly grasp.

"It's all right, all of that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I was watching over you all this time, and now, I'm back," Rika-Meriko answered soothingly.

"What-what happened to Meriko?" Shika asked.

A frown creased Meriko's forehead. "What do you mean? I _am _Meriko."

"Mika-nee, we'll need to get you out of her body soon," Shika wiped her tears, her sister-controlled-body still not letting her go. "Meriko is my friend, I don't think staying in her body is a good idea."

"Sure," Rika-Meriko shrugged. "After I'm done with making Gensokyo my own. Is that okay, Shika-chan?"

"What?" Shika asked, sounding confused for the umpteenth time.

"I need your friend's body. Her soul is powerful! Her body is the only one that'll be compatible with the massive amount of power I'll hold!"

"Wait… what do you mean, Mika-nee?" Shika betrayed a trace of doubtfulness lacing her voice.

"I hate the world! Everything!" Rika-Meriko exclaimed, raising both her arms, as Shika dropped back onto her feet. "It's sick! Twisted! Filled with sick people! And with the world in my hands, I'll fix that soon."

An insane flash of red crossed her pupils, and Shika retreated as fear rose inside her. Something told her this was not the Mika-nee that she knew. "This little world, Shika, I will turn it into our little kingdom. This little world will be our own playground. Just you and me, no one else will bother us. In fact, they'll all be our dolls and toys. You'll be my little princess! Will you join me?"

Shika's neck prickled. There was something disturbing in her sister's tone. Her sister was serious, and the overexcitement in her voice told her that she would do anything for her unrealistic goals.

"You're… there's something wrong with you, Mika-nee. Please, just be my Mika-nee. We can be good friends, and sisters! There's no need to harm any-," but then her sight fell on the corpse of the man with the 'broken' face. The corpse was facing upwards, the ghastly place where its face used to be was vividly visible under the light of Meriko's soft white glow.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Shika screamed in horror.

"Aw, he's just a broken doll. He's one of those sick and twisted people! He's beyond fixing, so of course I had to break him!" Rika-Meriko dismissed it as if it was nothing big.

"_Like how you broke Father?_" Shika spoke in a frightened whisper. She felt sick from the sight of the corpse.

"Yes, that hellspawn deserved even worse than that," Rika-Meriko went to Shika and touched her sister's forehead. "You would never understand it at that time, what that vile monster had done to me." Images flashed inside Shika's mind, images that made her want to throw up. Unable to hold back her dinner, Shika puked onto the forest floor, spilling out the contents of her stomach. Rika-Meriko only watched without any hints of emotion.

"And, Shika, I need to know how much you love me and trust me," the insane spirit continued. "Will you give me your _eye_?"

Shika's stomach lurched again, but this time, nothing came out. "What?" she asked, her face deathly pale and sickly.

"I'll give you mine!" Rika-Meriko spoke with glee. "I want to see _all _that you have seen when Fate tore us cruelly apart. Besides, your eyes are special, you know? You have the gift to see more than others do. I need it to realize my dream. Our dream."

"No, not now, please…" Shika moaned weakly.

"This is going to hurt a bit, Shika," Rika-Meriko started to approach her, her face emotionless but her eyes glassy and holding tears at the edges. "Don't scream too much. It'll hurt me more than it hurts you."

"No, Mika-nee, please…!" Shika pleaded, her voice a strangled whisper. But before she could do anything, her feet left the ground, and she was floating midair as if nailed to an invisible cross.

"It'll hurt…" Meriko's hand approached Shika's right eye.

"…just…" Shika could see every single fingernail.

"…a little…" the hand turned blurry as it got into the area too close for her eye to focus on.

"…bit…" the fingers forced open her eyelids, and started to lodge themselves between the eyeball and its socket…

"Don't scream or cry!"

_[End of background music]_

A sickening pop.

A piercing scream broke the night's silence, just as the cries of the cicadas rose from being nonexistent into a deafening crescendo.

* * *

_My longest chapter ever. I think it should be my best chapter ever so far. And this is just the first chapter with the label Insanity Crescendo. There's going to be at least another chapter labeled the Second Insanity Crescendo. How many Insanity Crescendos there will be along this story? I have no idea. _

_Credits to the horror genius Ryukishi-sensei (Ryukishi07) for being my inspiration for this dark chapter, and also a huge thanks to my good readers. Please feed my insane, twisted mind with reviews._

_Teaser: Next chapter should be the conclusion of the Sonoyuki Mika arc._


	14. A Clash of Gods and Immortals

_Hi again people! Last chapter was really good insanity juice, huh?_

_Well, here are some achievements I unlocked in last chapter: 1) Story got past Scorching Summer Disappearance's length. 2) I got past the 100,000 words mark for the total of my entire word count in this site. 3) My longest chapter ever. 4) My first attempt at writing on a serious level of insanity a.k.a. darkest chapter ever. 5) I reached the 200 reviews mark! For the total review amount of my entire stories!_

_And, oh yeah, in case any of you are wondering, this story happens some time after Touhou 13: Ten Desires. And seeing how Kotohime was here, I think you can guess that PC-98 characters are also taken into account in this Gensokyo._

* * *

"_Magic are lies,_

_Youkai are lies,_

_Gods are lies,_

_When you stop believing in them_

_They disappear_

_So now let us clash forces_

_A battle of fantasy_

_To see who's the better liar between us." – The Black Princess _

* * *

**Chapter 14: A Clash of Gods and Immortals**

Rika-Meriko had her arms round Shika's neck from behind, floating above ground, singing softly, as the younger sister had her eyes closed, a trail of blood running down her cheek from her right eye, like a vertical line of face paint. Shika's body was hanging limply as her sister sung in a whisper in her ears.

"_Little Prin~cess,_

_Up the crystal tower,_

_Like a pale flower."_

But then Rika-Meriko stopped. "Oh, look Shika! We got guests!" She snapped her finger, and a frog the size of both her fists combined was jerked upwards by an invisible force before... BOOM... being blown into smithereens. "They're coming! Just stay and wait, let nee-chan speak with them!" She snapped her fingers again. Shika disappeared.

Three figures landed gracefully in the clearing, like specters in the night. One was of a child's height and frame, while the other two had the silhouette of grownups. One of the grownups had a circle behind her head plus a pair of huge rods sticking out from behind her like wings, while the other one appeared perfectly human, with a womanly frame and long hair that trailed below her shoulders. The child figure seemed to have a grotesque bulbous head.

With a flick of her hand, an orb of light appeared behind her, casting a pale white light over her head and illuminating the newcomers. Suwako, with her oddly shaped hat; Kanako with her circle of shimenawa and a pair of onbashiras, divine logs, that she'd usually bring into battles; and Sanae, the green haired teenager holding a gohei with paper streamers.

"Welcome, fellow gods," Rika-Meriko greeted loftily, spreading out her arms as if wanting to hug them, but the grin on her face looked more like a smirk. "To my kingdom."

"Uprooted trees, an unconscious boy, a faceless corpse, quite a dreary kingdom you have here, Sonoyuki Rika," Kanako sneered.

"I believe we haven't met, or being introduced properly," Rika-Meriko spoke, the courteous tone she used heavy with sarcasm. "Yasaka Kanako, Moriya Suwako, and… yes, I've met you before, Kochiya Sanae."

Sanae spotted the faceless corpse, and quickly put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from being nauseated. Her face turned pale and sickly.

"Sorry for the unsightly mess," Rika-Meriko leered at them. "But I thought you gods should have been familiar with sceneries of life and death already?"

"I fought wars before, and Suwako here had been in wars many times also," Kanako motioned to her senior, the child-like figure nodding grimly.

"But Sanae here… she hasn't seen the dark side of the world before?" Rika-Meriko taunted tentatively. "The dark, twisted, maddening side…" she crooned. "Now tell me," her tone changed into a fierce whisper. "How did you know who I am?"

"Yukari's message reached us," Kanako replied calmly. "You've been a very naughty evil spirit, Rika."

"Oh, come on, even gods get naughty sometimes, the rowdy bunches you all are," Rika-Meriko spoke dismissively.

"And now, Dream Breaker, you're thinking of making all Gensokyo your own?" Suwako scolded, the stern tone betraying her real nature, of a being that was much more than just a child. "Exploiting all fear and all faith too?"

"I'll be a better god than any," Rika-Meriko boasted, her delusion of grandeur sticking out like a sore thumb. "First question in theology: Is there a god? People who believe will say yes, so then we move on to question number two: Is god good? People who believe will say yes, so then we move on to question number three: Is god all-powerful? People who believe will say yes, so now we move on to the final question: If god is there, and he is all powerful and good, why does evil exist? Why can't he simply destroy evil if he is that good and loving? Why must us, good feeble mortals, suffer at the hands of evil?"

"That's why we want you all to believe in us, so we can help you!" Kanako spoke. "We can't help the faithless!"

"And, we are giving evil-doers a chance for repentance," Suwako added. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"But if you all are all-knowing," Rika-Meriko retorted, "you'll probably know if an evil person will never repent, so you're just letting unnecessary damage by letting evil people who will never repent live!"

"The all-knowing and all-powerful one knows everything and is able to do everything, just like how an author has full knowledge and full power in a fantasy story he or she creates," Kanako replies, her tone level and cool.

"So we have a cruel author then," Rika-Meriko scoffed. "Thank you author!" she mocked derisively, giving a sarcastic bow.

"That's why heaven and hell exist, to cover for what unfairness left unsolved in this living world," Suwako spoke with serenity, yet her eyes had a glint in it that would've made any ordinary mortal tremble in fear. But Rika-Meriko didn't even flinch.

"I'm bored of this religion talk already," Rika-Meriko shrugged pompously. "My point is, it is _I _who shall be the god to right all wrongs, and make this world a proper place to live in. _I_ shall rid this world of all evil and twisted people out there, and purge it to become my own paradise."

"Religion talk? Boring? You still haven't met the Yama." Kanako sneered. "But if what you say about exterminating evil and twisted people is true, then the only twisted people left will be you."

"So that's the excuse for you breaking dreams and terrorizing all the sentient beings in Gensokyo," Suwako spoke in a lowered but menacing tone. "Do you have any idea how much damage did you wrought?"

"I have, but the profit was worth it," Rika-Meriko answered nonchalantly.

"And you still have someone above you, the real perpetrator. Whoever he or she is must've been much more powerful than you are. You'll probably be kept as a pawn or a dog instead." Kanako continued.

"Yeah, instead of G-O-D, you become D-O-G instead," Suwako muttered. "What?" she said, noticing puzzled glances from Sanae and Kanako. "It was in that 'Kindergarten English' book you gave me."

"Uh… yeah, sorry for that prank, senpai," Kanako muttered awkwardly. "Bring it up some other time, okay?"

"Of course, I'll have a 'nice, slow' talk with you for that later." When Suwako said that, she wore a fake smile and used the English word for 'nice' and 'slow.'

"Um, Kanako-sama, Suwako-sama…" Sanae interrupted. "So… we're going to exorcise her, right?"

"Anyways, god-sama," Rika-Meriko continued, "I'm sorry for giving you that trouble last night, because, _I think I'm going to repeat it again_!"

"Apology not accepted," Kanako and Suwako spoke in unison.

"You mad?" Rika-Meriko crossed her arms, her face holding an expression of arrogance. "Oh yes, punish me, punish me, because if you don't Gensokyo will be no more, right?" she quipped, her lips splitting into a wolfish smile.

High above Gensokyo, a naughty Celestial sneezed.

_[Start of Background Music: Demetori's Jehovah's YaHVeH, remix of Faith is for the Transient People] [Played at medium volume, or depending on the reader's preference, and whenever the music ends, the music is looped to start again at 0:38]_

"Indeed you need to be punished," Kanako nodded in agreement.

"Waaaaaah, I'm so done for, the gods want to punish me!" Rika-Meriko taunted mockingly, trying to sound half-scared. Then she continued, "But, looking at the bright side, what better way to test myself than against the gods themselves?" Rika-Meriko continued in her ever-taunting tone.

"That insolent tone! Who do you think you're talking to, impudent brat?" Kanako raised her voice for the first time, as up on the heavens, thunder growled among the clouds.

"My EQUALS, of course!" Rika-Meriko taunted cheerfully, as if saying, 'Tag! You're it!' "Although, if you disagree with that position, we can always solve this out!"

"Sanae, I believe you're yet to have experience handling god-level threats?" Suwako asked her great-grandchild. Sanae gave a silent but determined nod. "She is no longer the human Meriko. She is something else entirely, in Meriko's body. We got to weaken it, without causing permanent damage on the human body."

"Oh, please, don't hold back on me, that's something you'll definitely regret!" Rika-Meriko scoffed, looking down on them as always.

"But if it couldn't be helped, we will destroy the evil spirit, _and _the body," Kanako smoothly instructed, as if ignoring Rika-Meriko's words. "For the greater good."

"An evil spirit always taunts, so we must not let ourselves lose to our emotions and give it a chance to exploit our weakness," Suwako spoke in a level manner.

"Youkai are lies. Magic are lies. Gods, are all lies!" Rika-Meriko continued, shouting out the exclamation to the night, raising both of her arms. "Why? Because when nobody believes in them, they disappear!"

"How impolite," Kanako scoffed. "A brat like you needs to be punished and taught the true order of things!"

"I am the _breaker_ of the true order of things," Rika-Meriko answered smoothly.

"Well, when you say youkai are lies, magic are lies, and gods are lies, I assume you are under full knowledge that you are using magic, and from what I heard, acting as a god, and a youkai yourself?" Kanako asked pointedly.

"Yep," Rika-Meriko answered with a sarcastic bow.

"Fine then let us see who's the worse liar between us!" Kanako half-shouted, sneering and scolding at the same time.

"With pleasure," Meriko gave another mock-bow, as she unleashed the full extent of her powerful aura. Dark wings appeared behind her back and her robe lengthened, just as the crown reappeared on her head. "Now let me show you a danmaku battle that no danmaku battle could ever hope to show you." And as she said that, a scythe of dark energy appeared in her hands. She raised the curved blade to the air, declaring, "Taboo – Dark Lävatein!"

As she declared the name, the light she summoned earlier disappeared, leaving three apprehensive goddesses in the dark. Their pulses quickened as they realize the disadvantages of fighting in sudden darkness, as the second it takes for their eyes to adapt to the darkness could be fatal.

The ghost of a colossal silvery blade started to appear from the end of her scythe, before materializing into a fiery sword, the particularly odd thing being that the fire was black, appearing otherworldly as if from some forgotten dark depths of hell. It was so large that her scythe's handle and blade would barely count as the sword's handle and cross guard. And as she brought the blade down in a diagonal gash, the sword extended, both in length and width as reddish-black danmaku erupted from its sides like a shower of deadly sparks.

Sanae blamed the night for making it hard to see the black danmaku. She produced her own spell card, "Sea Opening – The Day the Sea Split!"

On both sides of the field, walls of white light exploded into being before conjoining into a solid impenetrable wall that left only a wobbly canal between them as the safe area.

"Great move, Sanae!" Kanako commended, sounding pleased with the girl's choice of spell card. Firstly, the light from the walls on both sides made the black danmaku easily visible. Secondly, as their enemy was using a huge sword, the narrow canal made the movement of the weapon more limited, and created blind spots that the sword could not reach. If only they could get past the black sword, getting to the enemy would be easy.

Sanae aimed her shots of knife-shaped danmaku from various directions all aimed at Rika-Meriko, the black-haired girl appearing bemused by the sudden appearance of the walls.

"AHHAHHA!" Rika-Meriko burst laughing, "Impressive! Impressive!" and with alarming speed, she swung her sword with frightening speed like a light saber. "But a laser cuts EVERYTHING! Even LASERS!"

With ease, like a spoon cutting through tofu, she broke Sanae's double walls, the walls shattering like glass before crumbling and disintegrating into nothingness, while the ghastly sword sent sparks of danmaku flying with every movement. Everything turned dark again, only the light from the sparks being an indicator of the sword's position, which was not good. If they were to depend on the sparks' position, it could've been too late when they finally knew the position of the blade.

"Speed over sheer strength, Suwako, Sanae!" Kanako reminded her two allies, as she dodged a nearly fatal blow from the sword. One of the sparks hit the side of her face, but she seemed to ignore it. "Sanae, one hit from that insanely dense sword, and you're history! Even Keine wouldn't be able to save you!"

"But we can't see it!" Sanae shouted. The speed and visibility of the sword frightened her. If one was to die on her team it would've been her.

"Pray for a miracle!" Suwako shouted. Sanae did as told, and against all odds, suddenly the Moon reappeared from behind the clouds, casting a weak silvery glow over the forest, faint, but enough for them to see the monstrous black blade. Sanae's heart nearly stopped when the sword made a jab that missed her head by merely an arm's length. It was sheer luck that she was hit by just one of the sparking danmaku, on her left hand.

For her, it was one of the tensest battles she ever fought. It was as if Hisoutensoku itself, a giant mechanical robot Suwako created, was going berserk with a massive sword, slashing in great arcs, jabbing with frightening ferocity, and the blade dancing through the air in haphazard patterns. The worst thing of all would be the blade's fast but unpredictable trajectory. Rika-Meriko would sometimes feint before moving it in an arc with the speed of a lashing whip. Sanae was suddenly reminded of a gigantic guillotine, as horrible images passed through her thoughts.

"When will this spell time out, Kanako-sama?" Sanae called out, panic rising in her voice. The three had been shooting their own danmaku at the enemy, but Rika-Meriko did not give them more than a second of chance for them to aim their shots. Even then she would shift once in a while to avoid advancing danmaku. But then, after her question was unanswered, Sanae decided to release her next spell card, "Sea Opening – Moses' Miracle!"

This time the walls on both sides reappeared, even denser than before, and the canal narrower, while at the same time the spell card gave her more knife-danmaku to aim. She thought it was a miracle that they lasted these few seconds, so she better end this quicker. Her timing was lucky as Rika-Meriko's sword were stuck in the wall to the right, making her struggle to slide it out of the wall, cutting through the magically-solidified laser. This time the walls were harder to cut, as the spell card used more of Sanae's energy. The girl's forehead was sweating from the exertion. But seeing Rika-Meriko struggle, she sped through the air and shot her barrage of knives from different directions, all in less than a second. Meanwhile, Kanako and Suwako advanced forward, closing in on Rika-Meriko where her sword couldn't reach as being limited by the two walls.

"Interesting," Meriko mused, as with ease, she broke off her scythe from the huge sword. "Death Sign – Azrael's Inviting Scythes."

From the ground, huge scythes bigger than electricity pylons shot out like bean sprouts, the handles black and the blades glowing white. The blades lengthened as if made of rubber before flailing like countless tentacles, trying to grasp at them and cut them in half.

"Sanae," Kanako reminded the girl, "these danmaku are fatal. She really wants to kill us. The concentration of energy used is just… unsafe."

Being hemmed from both sides by the two walls, their way forward was hindered by the flailing scythes, the blades reaching out like long dancing tendrils. The three gods reacted with fierce barrages of danmaku through the scythe thicket. Kanako sent a barrage of amulets, Suwako sent out a barrage of stabbing lasers, while Sanae continued with her knife-throwing. Nearly not visible behind the scythes, Rika-Meriko dodged the danmaku as if sensing their coming instead of seeing them.

"Something's not right, it's not like her to just create a wall that can't attack. We can survive this without going between the scythes and just shooting at her," Kanako told her two partners.

Her hunch was right. As soon as she said that, the scythe closest to them had its blade extend in a great sweeping arc and tried to hook them in its grasps. After that, the next closest, and then the next, and then the next, the speed increasing steadily until they could hardly keep up, but that's when Sanae's double wall timed-out, as the three gods quickly took the chance to pass through the area clear of scythes and danmaku, as the blades continued to flail after them, guided by their master's will.

Her eyes narrowing, Rika-Meriko was quick to avoid the incoming blasts, and she released the second stage of her spell card. One by one, the flailing blades shatter into small spherical pieces of danmaku, all swarming towards the positions of their enemies like a battalion of bees. One by one they shatter, releasing barrage upon barrage on the trio.

"Divine Tool – Moriya's Iron Ring!" Suwako declared. A pillar of danmaku appeared, which upon closer inspection, were actually made of rings upon rings of closely arranged danmaku. She craftily arranged the pillars to move ahead of the three of them, shielding them from the scattering danmaku their enemy rained on them.

Rika-Meriko, realizing that her enemies were gaining on her, quickly ended her spell card. She then focused her thoughts and used a non-spell. Her whole body was then surrounded by a sphere of silvery light. The orb then expanded before breaking into rings, like a sliced onion but hollow inside, and the rings expanded at a speed faster than most danmaku, probably comparable to Lunatic mode. And if that wasn't enough, another sphere materialized, disintegrating into the next batch of rings, followed by another sphere inside it, and another.

"Not good," Suwako muttered. She pushed forward her advancing iron ring pillars, like a chess master pressing forward with her rooks, only to be surprised as the opponent's rings broke them like glass. "BEHIND ME!"

Hearing the panicky tone in Suwako's voice, Kanako and Sanae went behind her in less than a second. The earth goddess then summoned an aura of energy before taking the expanding ring of light head on, with her bare hands. A huge explosion ensues, and the little goddess was thrown back a few meters, her entire body smoking and landing on the ground like a child crash test dummy, tumbling on the forest floor, her hat thrown off her head by the impact, but she quickly caught it and stood up before she even stopped tumbling.

"Suwako-sama!" Sanae called out as she slipped through the gap Suwako broke in the ring of light, followed by Kanako.

Suwako coughed a few times. "I'll live!" she shouted to her two companions, waving with a forced cheerful expression. Her efforts had broken a section of three batches of silver rings, enabling the two to slip through them with ease.

"Sanae!" Kanako whispered sharply, sounding breathless herself. "This is not a place for you! This is a battle for immortals! If anyone would die in this battle, Sanae, it would've been you! Leave us!"

"No! I'll prove that I'm worthy of the Moriya priesthood! I'm a mortal goddess!" she asserted, dodging the final ring of light, the batch that Suwako did not break.

"Yes, _mortal_ goddess," Kanako stressed the second word. "Leave this to us. Suwako herself was hurt by that last hit. Yes, we can be hurt, but we'll be fine. Just… have faith in us," Kanako said, putting a hand on the priestess' shoulder.

Sanae could only look into her mentor's eyes for a split second, as after that, Rika-Meriko declared her next spell card, "Sigils of Twenty-Six Western Runes!" All around her, countless silvery glowing magic circles with complicated geometric patterns appeared, like spinning clock faces. Each one of them had a large black number on it in an ornate style.

BOOM.

With the sound like a canon firing, a magic circle numbered "3" released a curved yellow beam that exploded into a huge curving wall of energy rising to the heavens in a blinding flash before disappearing. Sanae was reminded of the Northern Lights she had seen in the TV before, only the pure white wall seemed much, much more solid and opaque. The girl was saved by sheer luck as she was right between the embrace of the wall before it disappeared.

But the sudden darkness after the blinding flash of light frightened her. The moon was still shining, but returning to the weak light after such a blinding flash made her sight go away for a few seconds.

"This level of power! It's insane!" Sanae shouted, as she let release two consecutive bombs, as one wasn't enough, "Wily Toad! Wily Toad!" They absorbed the explosion of three more magic circles, labelled "10," "12" and "15." But then she noticed a shimmering round Rika-Meriko, as if something was shielding her from the blast.

"That's because no one is crazy enough to monopolize all fear in Gensokyo before!" Kanako shouted, "Divine Festival – Expanded Onbashira!" sending a barrage of glowing onbashira towards their opponent. But a magic circle moved to directly in front of Rika-Meriko, numbered "9" and exploded into a straight wall of light, which was momentarily slowed by the barrage of onbashira before finally pushing back the barrage and grazing Kanako's shoulder.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Three more magic circles exploded, each numbered "26," "13", and "11."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sanae's leg got caught in the wall of light, and she screamed in pain. A sickening smell of burnt meat assaulted her senses, as white hot pain overloaded her nerves.

"Sanae!" Suwako and Kanako screamed, as the shrine maiden spun through the air, plummeting like a rock.

"No, Suwako-sama, I'm… I'm fine!" Sanae shot back to the air, trying hard to suppress her sobs of pain, "I healed the burns… but… but if this keeps going I… I won't have enough strength to even heal!" Despite her efforts not to, she sounded like a girl at the verge of tears.

But before they could even say anything else… BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. Four magic circles exploded, labeled "6," "10," "8," and "18." Each magic circle released huge burning walls of light, and with four of them at once, the walls crisscrossed each other, making a very hard-to-avoid mesh.

"It's too fast! And too random!" Sanae complained, the fact that her spirit was lowering evident from her tone.

"Sanae, get away from here as fast as you can," Kanako told the girl with a stern look. "I know that you've spent all your healing powers healing that burnt leg. The enemy is insane. She's using enough power to evaporate a mortal into ashes. These are not your everyday danmaku."

Meanwhile, far ahead of them, Rika-Meriko giggled, the sound like a cruel, naughty girl reveling in the suffering of her bully victim. "This is not even Lunatic…" she taunted, her mutter low, but her malicious magic carried her voice, making it audible to her opponents. They ignored her, but they couldn't pretend that what she said didn't trouble them.

"I'll… I'll use _all _of my bombs!" Sanae declared. "Then… then I'll fly away!"

"That's a good girl," Kanako replied in a soothing tone, even stroking the girl on her head.

"S…Stop it, Kanako-sama, I'm not…"

BOOM.

"NOW!" Kanako grabbed Sanae's shoulder and pulled her away at breakneck speed, nearly making the word 'breakneck' literal, as Sanae had her head lashing from inertia when the goddess of the mountain saved her from a wall of light exploding from the magic circle labeled "25." Strangely, the straight wall then split into two like a river fork.

"That's too fast!" Sanae shouted. "How should we know if a wall is going to curve, or go straight, or branch?"

"Memoriza…tion!" Rika-Meriko taunted, but the others were ignoring her words. She was sneering at their hopelessness. If this spell card was so random it needed memorization to survive, then they need to survive it first before they could have anything to memorize.

"Yes, now I wonder if I could survive this spell card unharmed," Kanako replied grimly. It was hard to tell under the light of the moon, but Sanae could guess that her face was pale. "Once the next barrage explodes, use your bombs, and I'll use mine!"

"Yes, Kanako-sama!" Sanae replied with determination. But she suddenly realized that her knees were shaking.

"Ahahaha!" Rika-Meriko let out a cackle of glee. "To demonstrate my power, this time, I'll just… use… _one!_"

A huge magic circle appeared in front of her, labeled "1." If the other magic circles before were large enough to park a small car on them, this one was ominously large with its diameter being five times the others before.

"Crap," Sanae cursed, "that… that bitch!"

Hearing the swear word, Kanako would've said, 'That's it, no more TV for you, young girl!' but she herself was struck by the realization that this next one was not going to be any easier than five shots at once. Suwako's eyes narrowed.

KATHOOOOOOM…

To their surprise, the wall of beam did not start on the magic circle, but instead, outside it, on both sides of it, the double walls unparallel but instead were bent inward at an angle, heading towards a meeting point ahead, the two walls like an embracing arm trapping them. Then, on both sides of where the three was standing midair, a pair of walls branched out of the two, threatening to crush the three at the two branches' meeting point. Sanae, Kanako and Suwako declared their spell cards all at once.

"Orochi of Ancient Times!"

"Mountain of Faith!"

"Hime River – Princess Jade Green!"

But then they realized that this wall was no bigger than the walls before from the other magic circles. The difference was not in size, but in power and density instead. It's like comparing a wall of polystyrene with a wall of iron.

Sanae's bomb slowed down the enclosing walls' advance, but it was like using a firemen's hose to stop a magma flow. Kanako's spell was the next to materialize, a usually impenetrable wall of danmaku talismans that Reimu herself would admit having trouble facing. It held off the crushing wall, but much to her horror, her spell card was losing against the walls' sheer power. And Suwako's spell card materialized as lines and lines of magic-empowered jade stones, each jewel exploding in a blast of energy as the crushing walls destroyed them. All combined, they only made the enclosing wall slow enough for them to escape the thick vaporizing guillotine, the three staying in the safe triangular area.

"That… that was insane! That level of power should be outlawed!" Sanae protested.

"Yes, it should," Kanako agreed.

"Fu… Ahahaha!" the sudden childish laugh made them turn their heads. It was Suwako. "Auu… it wasn't that hard."

"What do you mean, Moriya?" Kanako half-scolded. "Sanae could've lost her life in that last blast!"

"No, now I understand the working behind these explosions of burning walls," Suwako explained with a smug smile, and as if proving her point, she avoided the next wall, a curving one from a magic circle labeled "17," while she pulled away her other two companions from being hit. Then she sidestepped a straight wall that made a 90-degrees turn before continuing in a curve back to its magic circle labelled "4."

"How, exactly, senpai?" Kanako asked, unable to hide her curiosity and jealousy at the goddess' discovery.

"Come with me, we fly higher! This is a childish spell card. Don't jest, but I understood the way it works from that kindergarten book that you gave to make fun of me, Yasaka!"

Puzzled, they followed Suwako as the little goddess flew higher and higher, gaining altitude. The walls exploded, rising high up to the air, but being on Suwako's tail, the goddesses knew how to avoid the curving beams of light.

"So we're gonna fly over the walls?" Sanae asked.

"No," Suwako denied.

"I'm not going to let you..." a teasing voice answered from afar. It was Rika-Meriko herself. She was rising higher and higher, the magic circles following her.

"SO WHAT?" Sanae asked in outrage.

"There's a fixed pattern to them, even if at first they seem random," Suwako answered. "Now follow me down, fast!" but with a scream from Sanae, Kanako was swallowed by a huge curving wall of light.

"NOOOOO!" Sanae wailed, as tears escaped her eyes, the droplets flying away, blown by the wind as she flew.

"Just follow me!" Suwako shouted to her.

But then, a smoking Kanako flew out of the wall of light, with tears on her clothes and some scorch marks on her skin, but overall, she was not seriously harmed. "I survived that one, but not before using the greatest amount of energy I've ever used since the war!"

"Nah, you just forgot that time when you had a friendly duel with me," Suwako dismissed. "Fifty years ago, I think."

"Friendly duel?" Kanako challenged the term. "You switched my bowl of ramen with a bowl of worms!"

"Auu…" Suwako groaned. "For the last time, those were earthworms I collected to diagnose the health of the earth! And it was your fault for eating in the dark and not giving attention to what you eat. No wonder you have those flab-,"

"Not in front of Sanae!" Kanako yelled.

"Suwako-sama! Kanako-sama!" Sanae reminded, as they nearly reached the ground already.

"Fine, look up," Suwako spoke.

Their jaws dropped in awe. Above, a wall materialized, being shot out of a magic circle, but now for the first time as they were far below it, they could see its shape as a whole.

"P?" Sanae spoke, sounding surprised.

"P," Suwako affirmed. "That must be magic circle number 16. They're English letters! 1 is A, 2 is B, 3 is C, and so on!"

"WHAT?" Sanae gasped with incredulity. "Who would think of such a lame spell card?"

"She's from the outside world," Kanako shrugged. "People from the outside are always weird."

_I'm from the outside world too, remember? _Sanae thought, but refrained from speaking that thought aloud.

"Okay, Sanae, you're the one with better knowledge of these… Romaji, so we'll need your help a bit here, then you'll be out," Kanako commanded.

"Okay," Sanae agreed without much of a fuss, as Rika-Meriko resumed her initial altitude, as the trio was now closer to the ground. But Sanae then wondered if she would survive this round, and her confidence wavered for a few seconds. But confident or not, she got to survive, and dodging the next walls helped her free her mind from the assault of fear and reluctance, as she had to focus on more wall-dodging and less worrying.

The revelation helped them much. Although they realized that when two or more magic circles erupted, the resulting walls would appear as overlapping letters if seen from above. "3 and 11!" Kanako spoke.

"C and K! Here!" Sanae led the trio into the safe area while firing danmaku at the enemy. She already got the hang of it, as counting with her mind, she got better and better in trying to tell the corresponding letter from the numbers on the magic circles. The two immortals also did not stop, as they try to land a hit on their enemy. But somehow it appeared that Rika-Meriko was surrounded by an invisible force field.

"4!"

"D!" Sanae reacted, pulling them into the letter's hole.

"13 and 24!"

"M and X!"

They realized that the 'letters' were scaled to be as if on the same font size, so they did not need to worry if a letter will turn out bigger or smaller than others.

But then, a sudden idea struck Kanako's mind. "Suwako, help me with this spell!"

"Roger," the smaller goddess replied, concentrating hard as in front of them four more magic circles glowed, numbered "14," "2," "19," and "22."

"N, B, S, and V!" Sanae exclaimed, but to her surprise, the other two goddesses were concentrating hard, their hands performing seals of magic with their eyes closed and their lips chanting unintelligible words.

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

A shriek. To Sanae's surprise, the magic circles flipped around, making the walls bursting out from them hit Rika-Meriko instead. Her spell card disintegrated, all remaining magic circles shattering apart like glass, but she was unharmed.

"HAHAHA! That was interesting! That was interesting!" Rika-Meriko jeered. Her spell card was ruined.

"Okay, now that the 26 sigils are done, now what?" Suwako asked. "Did anyone of you land a damaging hit on her?"

"Nope," Rika-Meriko answered.

Kanako's eyes narrowed. Rika-Meriko was surrounded by a very strong force field. She wondered if they were somehow able to bring down the force field, the girl would be easily defeated with just a few hits. She was, after all, still in a human body. "I hate that girl. What _is _she made of?"

"That doesn't even hurt," the possessed girl replied smugly. "Undead Banquet of Restless Kittens!"

All around Rika-Meriko, disembodied yellow eyes start to appear, floating midair, their number uncountable, probably thousands.

"I'll rather have a rematch with that Nue," Sanae complained, as the yellow eyes turned into ghostly kittens trailing smoke behind them as they swarm towards the three goddesses like guided missiles.

"Wish granted," Kanako and Suwako spoke in unison, and summoned their forces.

"Wait! Whaaaaaaa…" Sanae's voice trailed away as a fierce gust of wind slammed her down, only to have the earth open up right before she hit it, the opening swallowing her whole, sending her tumbling down some kind of a tunnel under the earth. No one even heard her as she yelled and bawled underground.

She felt like being forcefully pushed down the digestive system of some gargantuan monster, but then suddenly her progress were stopped as she bumped against something invisible while the earth itself was pushing her forward. "Owowowow!" She felt like being pushed against the wall by a crowd of berserk fanatics at an anime convention.

To her horror, she heard the sounds of hisses and caught a glance of countless yellow eyes and gleaming sharp teeth behind her. Little sharp sets of teeth clamped themselves round her ankle, and she felt the tearing pain, and something warm wetting her foot.

"NOOOOOO!" but suddenly, the invisible obstacle disappeared and she was lurched forward as if from a slingshot. She practically sprung out of the ground like a geyser, and landed in a painful heap. "Ow…" her hands went behind her, rubbing the area where the landing had hurt her most. But then she was glad that she escaped being mauled by those otherworldly cats, and that the cats somehow didn't make it through the tunnel. She tried to stand, but her foot hurt her. She summoned what little reserve of magic that was left inside her and healed the cut.

She then collapsed from the trauma and overexertion. _Danmaku battles… aren't meant to be like this. _Flat on her back, she prayed for Kanako and Suwako to win. She let her gaze fall on the stars before her eyelids closed and all turned black. Even if it was in a forest at night, on the forest floor, somehow, that was bliss for her.

Meanwhile, Suwako and Kanako focused their efforts on destroying the starved shadow cats. "Heaven's Dragon – Source of Rains!" Kanako declared, sending orbs of light hovering round her, each one releasing streams and streams of homing danmaku on the cats.

"Spring Sign – Jade of the Horrid River!" Suwako exclaimed, activating her spell card. A wall of jades surrounded quite some of the cats and started to close and constrict, becoming smaller.

It later became apparent that the cats had high indestructibility. It needed around fifty danmaku to destroy just one of them. Suwako and Kanako soon found themselves cornered and overwhelmed. "Suwako, looks like we'll have to sort it out to our god powers!" Kanako said with a huff.

"Yep," Suwako nodded in agreement. "That girl, she never had any intentions to play by the rules in the first place!"

"Divine retribution!" they spoke in unison, standing back to back and focusing their divine powers into the nature around them.

The earth cracked and shook before opening like an abyss with a crooked maw, while Kanako chanted something incomprehensible. A tornado appeared out of nowhere and sucked in all the cats and sending them into the crack before the crack closed on itself, burying all the cats amidst tons of earth.

"Rest in peace," the duo spoke, again as one. _Right where the undead belong._

Rika-Meriko clapped her hand as if congratulating them. "Ah… mastery over nature? I can do that, too! Anarchy Sign – Forest of Chaos!" the possessed girl raised her arms like conducting an orchestra. All around her trees got torn off the ground, uprooted like bean sprouts, and started to fly and lash towards her opponents. Crackling energy surrounded the trees' every branch and twig, turning them effectively into irregularly-shaped danmaku.

"This is simply unfair!" Kanako pouted.

"Ha! Bet you'd never seen any danmaku battle like this!" Rika-Meriko exclaimed triumphantly, an insane look crossing her face.

"This girl... she never had the intention of following the rules in the first place," Suwako repeated, the look on her face solemn.

Kanako dodged every branch, the complicated shapes of the trees making them difficult to dodge as Rika-Meriko used the trees like missiles, moving in a haphazard pattern and yet returning to her before going too far.

She got scratched and zapped by twigs and branches many times, and had to use her godly strength to break a trunk once, but she was gaining on her foe.

_[End of background Music]_

_ZOOM._

Suddenly, a fiery flash zoomed past her, shooting through trees and leaving a burning hole through the leaves and snapping a charred tree trunk in half. Rika-Meriko's eyes widened as she recognized the fiery newcomer.

Mokou shot at her with the speed of an eagle, and with a dull thud, her fiery fist rammed into Rika-Meriko stomach, sending her flying a few meters. But Rika-Meriko didn't hit the ground. She was still airborne, hovering with a surprised look on her face, coughing and wheezing.

Crossing her arms while staring coldly, Mokou gave a drawl that sounded bored, "You know, I don't really understand everything, but the fact that you look like Kaguya tells me that I'm going to reaaally enjoy this."

* * *

_There you have it. The challenge of making a danmaku battle in 3D. Oh yeah, another achievement for me: 1) First time writing self-made spell cards for a danmaku battle. But knowing Rika-Meriko, I don't think they were proper spell cards. 2) First scene in the OP to be inserted into a chapter! Aw come on, it's that obvious._

_And, oh yeah, the battle was bigger than I expected, so it'll be split into at least two chapters._

_Teaser: Three immortals against almighty Mika. Now Mika was the only mortal one. Will the battle turn in their favor? Can they overcome this insanely overpowered Meri Fuu OC? I admit, she's too powerful it's not even fair. She's using hax! But then, you didn't even see how her master is yet… Wait, she has a master? Does she? And, like Mika said, all hail the cruel author! Ouch, I'm not that bad, Mika, please don't break the fourth wall._

_And… happy birthday to a certain fellow author. And, to everyone else, a happy unbirthday! May wisdom guide you all._


	15. The True Form

_Now… let's see… Ah, yes. Latest achievements unlocked so far: 1) First time writing a one-shot type of story, (yeah, Kaleidoscope, it's down there in my profile, okay, end of advertisement, ehehen), 2) Achieved 100th review for Sanguine Insanity Crescendo (thanks V-san)._

_Well, so here I am, back to writing Sanguine Insanity Crescendo. _

_A little bit of warning, this chapter is going to be heavy on action and overpowered scenes._

_Enjoy. _

* * *

"_If death is eternal sleep,_

_And immortality is eternal insomnia,_

_So Hell is eternal nightmares?_

_And Heaven is eternal dreams?_

_And the undeads, are sleepwalking?_

_No thanks,_

_I'll stay awake for now,_

_Simply that,_

_Until when?_

_Shut up." – the Black Princess. _

* * *

**Chapter 15: The True Form**

Nick opened his eyes and sat up quickly as if waking from a nightmare.

BUMP.

His face bumped against something that was soft and hard at the same time. That something hissed and he got a claw swipe to the face. "Ow!"

A pair of glowing orange pupils stared back.

"UWAAAH!" he cried out, but then a voice whispered to him.

"Auu… Chen's nose hurts…" It sounded like a girl, and it was then that Nick realized with a sinking feeling that he just gave whoever that was something like a kiss. Blood rose to his cheeks.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Nick apologized.

"Shush! Follow Chen!" Chen, as the girl referred to herself, pulled his hand and led him away. And as soon as his eyes got used to the faint light of the moon, it was with wonder that he gleaned something like horns on the girl's head. But when the horns twitched, he realized that they were ears. Suddenly reminded of Reisen, he guessed that this must have been another youkai girl.

He turned to look behind him, and was surprised to see that there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was in the forest at night, there was no Meriko, no Shika, no one else but him and the youkai girl. Even everything sounded like how a normal summer night would. "Where's… everyone?" he asked, uncertainty lacing his tone as he followed the little girl who was at least a head shorter than him. Then he saw a green haired girl lying on the ground, her expression serene. She was either unconscious or asleep. "Sanae? Why is she here? What happened to her?" The girl was breathing faintly.

"Stay here," Chen told him. "I need to help Ran-sama. Take care of sleeping shrine maiden!"

* * *

_[Start of Background Music: Grilled Bird – Innocent Key's remix of Hourai Victim and Immortal Smoke, looped]_

"Ah… the sad, sad immortal. And they say how the phoenix laments," Rika-Meriko spoke reminiscently. "Now, let's see… you'll find me different from Ka-," but then she swerved aside as Mokou threw another fiery punch at her, her eyes widening.

"Heheh," Mokou snickered. "Ahaha! You underestimated my grudge on that Moon princess. Our fight has always been more closed-range than most."

Rika-Meriko did not answer, her expression now blank, except for her eyes staring coldly at the girl with flames shrouding her hands. Then with a 'schiiick' sound, a black scythe of dark energy reappeared in her hands.

"Fine, so you are taking it as something personal," Meriko whispered, "Teacher."

"You're a rude student. You know, I'll prove to you how unfortunate you are for being caught in the grudge of the Fujiwara," Mokou spoke, her face splitting into a grin. "I'll beat the ghost out of you, girl."

"So be it," Rika-Meriko's eyes narrowed, and the two clashed.

For the first time, Rika-Meriko appeared to be truly giving her all for the battle. She raised her left arm, the one not holding the scythe, and uprooted danmaku-covered trees rose behind Mokou.

"Immortal – Fire Bird – Flying Phoenix," Mokou released her spell card, shutting one eye, as if the looming figures of the wooden giants did not bother her. Wings of fire spread out from around her, while sparks of red-hot danmaku exploded from around her, singeing every tree, and covering them in flames.

Rika-Meriko tried to keep herself calm at the sight of Mokou's counteroffensive, as like a bird of prey, the immortal zoomed behind one of the burning trees and forced her danmaku stream against the trunk which then broke from the white hot heat, sending a fiery mesh of branches and leaves falling on top of Rika-Meriko.

The possessed girl was trying to focus herself on dodging the danmaku, but as the tree nearly fell on her, she gave up on that course of action, as the danmaku crashed against her force field in fiery bursts. She twirled her scythe and brought it against the tree trunk, and with a huge explosion of black energy, the fiery tree shattered into tiny pieces, as if it was made of plaster instead. The impact of the force was such that black lightning crackled and lingered in the air for a few seconds, but Mokou ignored that and gave a flying upside-down kick from below, landing a direct hit on Rika-Meriko's side, sending the girl spinning a few times in the air. Rika-Meriko's scythe tip grazed Mokou's hair, but as soon as it made contact, it blew in a crackling explosion, sending the immortal reeling through the air.

"Agh," Rika-Meriko spitted in contempt, pressing her hand on her side, "Recklessness, eh?"

"This _is_ the grudge of centuries!" Mokou replied excitedly, her grin no less void of sanity compared to Rika-Meriko's, as she raised both of her hands as if in a welcoming gesture. "The accumulated pain, the hate, the enjoyable sight of your foe suffering…"

"Interesting," Kanako noted, "our Sanae would do well to learn from that girl."

"That's because she's immortal," Suwako disagreed. "Her style would not suite everyone."

"Then what are you waiting for? We're immortals too!" Kanako shot through the line of floating fiery trees.

With movements of her left arm, Mokou sent the fiery swarm of sparked danmaku into surrounding Rika-Meriko, right before a fiery line of danmaku formed round her right arm, into the shape of a huge fiery bow and arrow. The bow and arrow turned out to be the shape of a phoenix as it zoomed at thrice the speed of other danmaku with deadly precision.

Rika-Meriko glanced Kanako and Suwako getting through the wall of trees she had set up. "Tcheh!" she spitted in contempt and swung her scythe at the advancing projectile, ignoring the smaller ones. The hit exploded into a blast of black energy that then dissipated, leaving small bursts of black lightning crackling in the air.

But by then Mokou was already in front of Rika-Meriko, and she released her next phoenix-shaped blast right into her face.

That's when a stream of dust erupted into the air like a geyser, smothering the fiery danmaku and blocking Rika-Meriko from view. Mokou hastily retreated, as all around, the ground itself exploded as if someone had buried mines under every meter square. Then all the earth flew into the air like a sandstorm, causing Mokou and the others to shield their eyes from the terrible embodiment of rage. Even boulders were lifted, dangerous projectiles, made worse by the fact that the flying dust rendered their sight virtually useless, not to mention that there were still trees being thrown around in the storm, each one weighing tons.

"THIS IS FOREST OF CHAOS!" Rika-Meriko yelled out in her frenzy.

It was not only the ground and the rocks. Twigs, debris, everything was picked up as if by some monstrous telekinesis user, and was used against the three.

"Gyah!" Kanako let out a small cry, as she felt hundreds of living bugs landing on her face.

THUD. "Waaaaah!" Suwako cried out as she was hit by an invisible tree, and of all parts, she was hit under the roots, the tree plunging down, threatening to be the little goddess' headstone. She rolled aside and slipped out between the roots.

Mokou's flames were snuffed out by the violent dust-laden wind. A rock hit her forehead, and she felt her head spinning from the impact. Despite closing her eyes, she could feel the sensation of blood trickling down her forehead, as she fought the urge to remain conscious.

"Suwako!" Kanako's voice called out. "It is time, to make the earth be at peace again!"

"Yes," Suwako's voice replied.

Then came the sound of the two voices chanting.

"_O earth disturbed, I, Moriya no Suwako, goddess of the earth, calls upon thee, and bids thee to be at peace."_

"_O winds restless, I, Yasaka no Kanako, goddess of the sky and of the mountain, calls upon thee, and bids thee to be at peace."_

"_O earth disturbed, I, Moriya no Suwako, goddess of the earth, calls upon thee, and commands thee to be at peace."_

"_O winds restless, I, Yasaka no Kanako, goddess of the sky and of the mountain, calls upon thee, and commands thee to be at peace."_

The howling wind quieted, and eventually the unearthly hurricane dissipated. It took quite a while for the cloud of dust to truly clear.

"How is it? _Immortals_?" Rika-Meriko asked, in plain sight again, her voice tinkling like a young girl. "That was not my best trick!"

"Why you…" Mokou mumbled angrily. But then she was surprised to see that she was right by Kanako and Suwako, the two holding serene expressions.

_We have found one thing that may be her weakness, _Kanako's voice spoke into Mokou's mind. _She was exceptionally protected from danmaku or attacks and projectiles fired from afar, yet to close-ranged physical attack, she was vulnerable. Thank you for letting us realize that._

"Took me some time, but look what I found!" Rika-Meriko exclaimed, a look of glee crossing her deranged expressions. "Some friends! Allow me to outnumber you for once!"

From the ground below, five dark shapes rose out of the bushes and fallen trees. Their silhouettes were humanoid, but they were small, like children. But the shape of insectan wings behind them was an instant giveaway. They were fairies.

"Chessmistress' Game – Dark Right Side of the Board!" Rika-Meriko announced her spell card like a child revealing her greatest work of art. The five fairies positioned themselves in two lines, reminding Mokou of a puppeteer she had met before. Three of the fairies were by Rika-Meriko's right side, while two more were floating in front of the back line, their wings fluttering like overgrown butterflies.

All of them had their eyes closed, as if in deep sleep, and in their hands were weapons made of the same material as Meriko's scythe. The two fairies in front of the line were double-wielding a pair of short swords. The one at the back furthest from Meriko had a black aura surrounding her fists. The one closest to Meriko, thinner and taller than the rest, had a scepter slung over her shoulder. The one in between was holding a lance and a shield.

_I am the queen, _Rika-Meriko spoke in her mind. _Kings are only signs of weakness, the weak point in the entire legion. If the heart is a vampire's weak point, then create a vampire without a heart. I am the legion's strength, _she mused at the philosophy behind her spell card.

_Remember, this girl is not fighting according to the rules, _Kanako's voice whispered in Mokou's head.

"I'm two pawns short, but that's okay!" Rika-Meriko exclaimed, sending the two fairies in the front line charging ahead, accelerating like airborne missiles, slashing their swords mechanically.

_We'll get at her, and if we deal her enough damage, automatically this spell card will be undone. The fairies were just puppets, they were not our focus, _Kanako spoke to Mokou non-verbally. The goddesses were standing midair, hovering while wearing serene expressions, their eyes staring in acceptance at whatever fate awaiting them.

"Go!" Kanako signaled, and the three immortals charged, where at the last moment before clashing with the fairies headfirst, they swerved away from the spinning blades, with Mokou in the middle plunging downwards to get past the pair.

A metallic sound, and blood droplets rained down onto the earth, as Kanako pressed her hand hard against her shoulder, gasping from the pain.

"Aha!" Rika-Meriko's voice taunted, "En passant!"

Suwako swerved past the swordsfairy to Meriko's right, but then, the fairy with the nimbus-covered fists charged at her at a surprising speed that far exceeded the swordsfairies'. She was quick to swerve aside, but one of the fists clipped her side and an explosion of dark energy threw her away.

Meanwhile, as Mokou swooped upwards, the lanced fairy made a sudden leap like a grasshopper before plunging down at her, stabbing down with her lance, barely missing Mokou's foot. Mokou reacted by sending a ball of red flame right into the fairy's face, only to have it ram against the fairy's shield and blow apart in an explosion of red and black sparks, throwing both Mokou and the fairy backwards.

Rika-Meriko did not move. She just stood there with her eyes glazed, focused on something afar at the horizon.

The scepter-wielding fairy was moving in a manner that intrigued Kanako, as it never moved in a straight line, but rather diagonally, once to the left, once to the right, and once retreating again. Kanako swerved to avoid the fairy passing by her like a car driven by some crazy driver, and was advancing towards Rika-Meriko when she heard the fairy swooping towards her from behind. She turned round and was surprised to see that the scepter was actually not a scepter, but the rod had split into segments and ended in chains that led to a spiked ball: a morning star.

Cursing her enemy's choice of weaponry, she shot upwards like a rocket, as the fairy swung the deadly ball at her. From above, she summoned her spell card, "Weird Festival – Medoteko Boisterous Dance!" Divine onbashira rained down onto the little fairy, red and black sparks exploding telling Kanako that her shots found their mark. But instead of blowing apart into pieces, the fairy rose and raged against the stream of onbashira and danmaku like a carp swimming up a waterfall. A very tough and persistent carp.

"Ah! The pawns had promoted and returned!" Rika-Meriko announced, as in a blurry flash, the two sword-wielding fairies had returned, this time no longer wielding the swords. The first one had the black aura round her hands, while the other one had a lance and a shield. "Double knight, double rook!"

The one with the lance leaped its way towards Mokou, whilst the one with the aura round her hand bulldozed its way towards Suwako.

"Crush her! Impale her! Break her! KYAHAHAHA!" Rika-Meriko burst into insane laughter.

Mokou were having a hard time as the two lanced fairy knights were leaping like hectic crickets, once here, once there, attacking her from two sides at once, jabbing and stabbing with their lances. "Deathless Xu Fu's Dimension!"

A huge swastika of talismans appeared midair, spinning before bombarding the two fairies with a rain of talismans that exploded right upon contact. But the fairy must have been made resilient by Rika-Meriko's tampering, as the exploding talismans didn't seem to affect them.

Seeing the bulldozing rook, Suwako realized the coming danger, while in front of her, the other fairy with the aura-covered hands was charging towards her like a bull. She waited with bated breath, cocking her hat, and right when the two were closing in towards her, she leaped to the air as fast as she could. The two rooks crashed into each other in an almighty explosion of black aura, the shockwave even sending Suwako flying.

"No way!" Rika-Meriko blurted, surprised at the outcome. The two fairies spun like shot planes as they plummet towards the ground.

"You won't see that on a chessboard," Suwako drawled, but then Rika-Meriko herself zoomed towards the little goddess, raising her scythe. Suwako's eyes widened when she noticed that the 'Queen's' speed was superior to all her other pieces. She barely avoided the scything blade, but Rika-Meriko caught her hat and gripped it together with the hair inside, while with her other hand, she used the scythe like a mantis to behead the little goddess.

But reflexively, the goddess used her hands to stop the scythe by its handle, causing an explosion that tore her and Rika-Meriko apart, the human girl having Suwako's hat in her hand.

"Pyonta!" Suwako called out to her hat, but she did not let her guard down as she avoided a stabbing blade of darkness from her opponent.

"Ha! A fancy hat makes you a god, huh?" Rika-Meriko exclaimed with a mocking grin. "Eat your hat, little girl!" she threw the hat at Suwako's direction, just as she released a blast of dark energy right into it. Suwako was just about to reach and grab it when the hat leaked out black flashes before exploding into pieces. Suwako received the explosion right into her face, the small body being thrown back for the umpteenth time, before landing onto the forest floor with another blast that left a crater with Suwako in it, her dress ruined and the girl moaning in pain.

The fairy with the morning star pressed forward fiercely as she swung her weapon while Kanako continued her barrage of onbashiras, not letting any of her danmaku to miss her opponent. She put more power into her fire, and at last the fairy exploded in a ball of flame and shower of sparks. Kanako panted in exhaustion, realizing the extent of her opponent's sheer power.

Mokou was still having trouble fending off the stabbing knights. Her spell card had hit them many times already, but it did not even seem to cause any visible damage. One of the lances grazed her shoulder, sending a trickle of blood down her clothing, and thus every movement of her left arm would then send spasms of pain. Their speed disturbed her, it was very lucky for her to be still up and fighting.

Suddenly the knights' weapons flickered before disappearing as the fairies plummet down into the ground like dead dragonflies. Mokou frowned and turned to look at Rika-Meriko apprehensively.

While Rika-Meriko transferred more power into her scythe and raising it to deliver the finishing blow, Suwako stood up, albeit on wobbly legs. A dark expression was etched on the smaller girl's face. Her eyes were glowing in the dark, like silvery orbs of pure menace. "You don't know how many wars I've gone through, brat, I'm really going to get serious."

Rika-Meriko cackled like a maddened witch, as she put even more force into her scythe.

"It is wartime again, my friend," Suwako whispered, shutting her eyes, "Mishaguji-sama!"

The ghostly figures of gigantic white snakes with glowing red eyes as thick as tree trunks burst into being, the flailing heads hissing and snarling menacingly. It was as if godly titans themselves have been summoned to the battlefield. All of them rushed forward, focusing their full forces against the human girl flying through the air. Rika-Meriko lifted up her scythe, the dark wings reappearing behind her. The summoned serpentine curse-gods glowed with energy that later erupted into an explosion of emerald and white energy so ferociously intense, shaped like a massive star with uncountable points, just as in the same time, Rika-Meriko's energy flowed from her wings into her scythe. The points of the gigantic star bent inwards and crushed her like a sea anemone would a stray speck of food.

* * *

_[Background Music paused]_

"Ran-sama, I'm scared," Chen told her master, hugging tightly round her master's waist. "Their fights are too scary, and Yukari-sama is still not back!"

"Don't worry, Chen," Ran replied soothingly, stroking the little nekomata's head. "Yukari-sama is fine. She'll think of something to end this battle."

That's when with the sound like something unzipping, a tear opened midair, and the gap youkai herself stepped out, looking as elegant as ever in demeanor. "My, my, my, what did I miss?" she asked her two servants.

"Yukari-sama!" Chen cried out in delight.

"That," Ran moved her hand, and with a shimmering of the air, something like a window opened, revealing what was actually going on inside the barrier they had summoned.

Seeing the huge writhing figure of Mishaguji-sama, Yukari clicked her tongue. "So it is _this _bad, huh?" she spoke as if to herself. "Hmm, I wonder why she chose to trap me inside the barrier; she probably knew I would be able to escape. Was she that overconfident? Or was she stalling for time? Or was it on orders from this higher being that was controlling her?

"Chen,' Yukari addressed the nekomata, "bring Nick to me. I need to ask for help from a friend of mine. Ran, hold the barrier round this area. I don't want Reimu knowing it was me who let in this abomination in the first place. Or the Yama."

* * *

An almighty boom shook the landscape as a huge explosion of black, green and red send flying sparks everywhere. The shockwave that followed made Kanako and Mokou shield their faces from the flying debris. The Mishaguji seemed to flicker before disappearing, leaving a kneeling Suwako panting hard amidst a huge crater.

Rika-Meriko was thrown backwards by the explosion, trailing smoke behind her. Then she landed a hundred meters away, like a ball of metal on sand, making a cloud of dust rose to the air.

Everything became silent again.

"Now, Kanako, purge… the evil spirit out…" Suwako spoke with labored breaths. Her knees shook a bit as she struggled to stand.

"Gladly," Kanako gave a slight bow to the fellow goddess, as if acknowledging Suwako's part in finally overpowering the abomination. Then she sprinted towards where Rika-Meriko crash-landed.

Suddenly a figure rose out of the crater ahead. Rika-Meriko had her head bowed, and when she spoke, her voice sounded weak and unsure. "Can… can I beg for forgiveness?"

"Repent in the depths of your very heart, and allow me to send you to the next world. May the Yama be merciful for your last moment repentance," Kanako told the girl.

"I'm…" Rika-Meriko began, but then she broke into sobs. "I don't want to die. I don't want to go to the next world!"

"That is your only salvation," Kanako replied calmly, getting ever closer to the girl.

"I'm on my last legs… anything! Anything is fine! Seal away my powers! Bind me with enchantments! Just… don't kill me… don't kill me…" Rika-Meriko buried her face into her hands. "I don't want… I don't want to die…"

Mokou was still hovering in the air, her phoenix wings spread wide, and her expression severe. She had to shut an eye as blood from her forehead still dripped above her right eye.

"Why… why it all must end… I just… I just want to be told, it's okay to live…" Rika-Meriko spoke.

"There is life after death," Kanako stated.

_[Background Music resumes]_

"EHE! Ehehen. Fooled ya!" Rika-Meriko returned to her cheerful, teasing tone again. To all the three immortals' horror, the girl spread her black wings and rose to the air again.

Realizing that Rika-Meriko was returning into full battle strength, Mokou fired blasts of fiery laser towards her, declaring, "Exalted Personage – Forewarning of St. Germain!"

Before they even reached her, Rika-Meriko promptly replied, "Western Sign – Sigil of the Twenty-Seventh Rune!" her lips extending in a mischievous leer.

All around her, spinning magic circles appeared, all bearing the number "27."

"Wait, I thought the English alphabet only has 26 letters?" Kanako asked, incredulous. "What letter is the 27th?"

"SPACE!" Rika-Meriko exclaimed teasingly, as each of the magic circled exploded into releasing a huge shockwave that jarred the three immortals' entire being. "Ha! On last legs? Me? As if!"

For Mokou, it felt like being shaken by a great earthquake, the shock not only outside but also running into her body, as if trying to dislodge every organ from its place. She could only endure it for three seconds before blood started to trickle out of her nose. "The sound! The sound!" she screamed in agony, pressing her hands against her ears as the shockwave went so much as to nearly rupture her eardrums.

_How can one avoid what is unavoidable? Isn't it against the rules to use an attack that has no way of escaping without a bomb? Right! Bomb! She doesn't play the rules anyway._

Mokou focused her mind into making her spell card appear, to cancel the invisible shockwave 'danmaku.' But to her dismay, her fiery lasers seemed to either cancel nothing, or have nothing to cancel in the first place, while the opponent's shockwave caused the laser to shatter instead. The pain already rose to the peak, making her head rattle and her entire being hurt.

That was when she felt the ground open up beneath her feet as she fell into a deep hole, only to land as gently as if onto a bed.

"Are you okay?" a whispering voice asked her. Mokou opened her eye. Suwako was looking at her with a concerned expression, the little face lit by a danmaku sphere Kanako upheld over her palm.

"Don't worry, we can still fight," Kanako winked.

"Uh huh, do better Kanako, you haven't really done your best yet," Suwako exclaimed crossly. "It was quite a while since I summoned Mishaguji-sama in that form, with this body. Let's say I wasn't really that well-prepared, or it could have been better."

But then the shaking stopped. Mokou lifted her head to look what could have stopped something of that magnitude. Something told her someone like Rika-Meriko wouldn't stop her spell card after such a short time.

Like a soldier looking out of a war trench, Suwako peeked out of the hole. There, on the opposite side of the field, was the figure of Yukari herself, sitting over a gap, her expression indiscernible.

"Aha, so the Queen of Wonderland has returned," Rika-Meriko jested. "The border between what is straight and curved? This really gets old."

"Why thank you," Yukari replied. Despite her humoring words, her tone didn't sound like jesting. "Now, such a hypocrite you are, when I called you a World Destroyer, you acted all ignorant of what I meant when you know better how strong you really are."

"And you even thought of holding me back with that barrier you asked that fox to maintain round here," Rika-Meriko deduced. "My little fairy friends told me."

"Ah, and I commend you for sealing me inside a pocket dimension that, if I were to break out, I'll find myself denting the Hakurei Great Barrier itself. Took me some time to find the weak point where I won't be doing damage to the Hakurei Barrier, and even then the point of escape was so small I had to bend measurements because of… my womanly figure."

"I'm not jealous," Rika-Meriko put her hands over her hips in response.

"It's scary when one is able to do anything, huh?" Yukari inquired.

"Yes it is," Rika-Meriko cocked her head in response.

"And you've been so generous in spending your power!" Yukari taunted, "You know, I think it looks like you are going to use up all your powers just going against us four. We're not the only strong fighters that Gensokyo has. We can always call others to come in and finish you off like cornering a kitten."

Somehow the mention of 'cornering a kitten' made Rika-Meriko hiss. "Ah, you consider yourself a strong fighter too?" Rika-Meriko belittled, her jesting tone containing spite. "Well, what do you expect? _This_ is the fear of all Gensokyo. Oh, pardon me, half the fear. Of course I need to prove myself more powerful than the other one behind the scenes."

"But looks like with my barrier round this area, you are going nowhere," Yukari pointed out. "There's no one to even be scared of your display of power."

"That's why I'm going to break it…" Rika-Meriko muttered, her voice clear and derisive. "With…" she hesitated, "with… my true form."

"Ufufu… And I thought only Nue have true forms," Yukari clapped her hands together. "Demonstrate! Ufufu… demon-strate!"

"A demon indeed," Rika-Meriko muttered, concurring. The crown reappeared on her head, this time black like solidified smoke, before splitting into a pair of short horns. The wings behind her back folded like umbrellas, and she extended her arms as black knife-like claws slid out from her fingers. Her pupils turned a glowing emerald green like coals from some otherworldly fire. As her figure got shrouded in shadows like thick smoke, a forked tail appeared behind her.

The smoke cleared, revealing a green-eyed black figure on all-fours.

"Use your greatest power, young girl," Yukari challenged, "because as Queen of the Wonderland, _I'll _be your biggest obstacle."

Whatever that thing was, it no longer looked like a young girl. Trailing thick smoke behind it, it bounded towards Yukari at a frightening speed, gaining momentum every millisecond.

Yukari twirled her right hand, her parasol appearing in it, as sparks erupted round its end. Twirling the parasol, she started to chant something indistinctly, and in the split second before whatever Rika-Meriko had became ran over her, she let go a huge blast of energy, not unlike the Master Spark that Mokou once mentioned.

But the shadowy creature charged through like it was nothing.

That was when the creature realized the trick. Yukari was hiding a gap behind the huge blast of energy, and the creature ran straight into it.

In the middle of the clearing, a huge explosion of dark energy threw tons of earth into the air, before the creature burst out of the earth, still appearing unharmed.

Yukari frowned, as the creature leaped at her. With a wave of her parasol, she vanished, and reappeared some distance to her left, sidestepping the charging monstrosity. But the creature did not slow down or change direction. Instead it continued its streak through the air.

* * *

"Uh, Ran-sama," Chen tugged at her master's skirt, and pointed at a direction in the air.

A black blur was trailing through the air and heading in the section of the barrier closest to them.

But Ran was already looking at said direction. The kitsune shikigami quickly began forming seals with her hands accompanied by chanting of obscure words and arcane phrases, just as the creature crashed headlong into the barrier, causing the umpteenth explosion of dark energy for the night, the invisible barrier rippling from the impact.

To her immense relief, the barrier survived the furious impact, but then her ears pricked in shock as the creature itself landed in front of her, a blurry abomination clothed in thick curdling smoke, with the near-indiscernible clawed limbs and a forked tail. Its green eyes glowed menacingly as it advanced, hissing and spitting. The creature opened its mouth, revealing glimmering sharp teeth.

"Ran-sama…" Chen whimpered, frightened.

A violet glow filled the eyes of the kitsune, and with one hand, she swung a fist empowered by crackling energy. "Boundary between Form and Emptiness!" A vortex of danmaku burst out of her fist, swallowing the shadow creature, which seemed unhurt by it. It pounced onto the fox shikigami, only to find that the fox had already disappeared, and it crashed against the barrier again, causing an explosion that sent violent sparks into the air.

Chen too, was nowhere to be seen.

_Very good, Ran, fight according to my strings of command and you will be fighting at my level of power, _Yukari thought.

The shadow creature seemed to flicker and stagger, either in confusion or in pain, when it turned back into its human figure again, which was of Meriko's human body.

Rika-Meriko stood, grinning in a deranged way, "Ha! HAHA! AHAHA! I'm not done yet! I'M NOT DONE YET!" she shot to the air, this time with the curdling black smoke shrouding her, that as she stopped, hovering in the air, the smoke enveloped her form, making her seem like a shapeless mass.

But this time, Kanako, Suwako and Mokou were all charging towards her, preparing their spell cards, convinced that their opponent was on her last legs.

Ghostly silvery lines shot out of the coalescing mass before erupting into dark black lasers.

Mokou swerved aside to avoid one of the stabbing blasts, just as her two companions did the same.

_Black lasers, _Kanako thought. _That's against the law of nature. Laser is light. There is no light colored black. But the fact that she bothered to show the path of the lasers before they were shot means…_

_That girl must have some other trick! _Suwako's mind contacted hers.

"Scourge Sign – Mishaguji-sama!"

"Virtue of Wind God!"

"Hourai Doll!"

The three spell cards materialized in a magnificent show of power. Suwako's Mishaguji-sama did not summon make the monstrous serpents appear again, but this time, dense rings upon rings of green danmaku projectiles emanated from around her, densely packed as to leave little, if any, room for dodging. Kanako's spell card was a flurry of talismans arranged in a complex flower pattern, forming an impenetrable wall of danmaku. Mokou's spell card released large balls of white-hot flame as red fire shrouded her hands.

The three overlapping spell cards were so dense that using all three at once in a danmaku battle was supposed to be outlawed, but the three knew that their opponent was not one to care for rules.

_I am the BREAKER of the true order of things, _Rika-Meriko's phrase taunted in Kanako's mind.

_Shut up._

The figure of Rika-Meriko surrounded by black smoke received the danmaku wave upon wave, but she seemed unperturbed by it.

"Heh," the girl snickered, and with one swipe of her arm, the smoke surrounding her cleared. "Decimation – Novum Decimo," just as the three goddesses scattered, so as to not got caught together by whatever fiendish spell card Rika-Meriko was summoning.

A pure white blast of light exploded from around her, not unlike the wall of light she summoned when using the alphabetical spell card. The only difference was its coverage area. Instead of a wall, it was like an all-annihilating blast itself, swallowing all within its explosion radius.

The three immortals screamed with pain as they were swallowed by the blast.

The blast did not last longer than three seconds, but it felt like being burnt alive for the three. Mokou, immune to fire as she was, still had burns over her skin from the intense flame.

"The pain… the pain," Mokou spoke under her gasps of agony. Behind her, Suwako was already knocked unconscious and was falling through the air like a dead insect. Yukari was nowhere to be seen. Kanako was still holding on, despite the exertion appearing to push her to her limits.

Rika-Meriko was cackling in a loathsome way, like someone who had finally lost her mind.

That was when Mokou realized that on the ground, there was a strip where the earth and trees were not scorched by the blast. That gave her something to work on.

She positioned herself just above the strip, when with a flourish of her arm, Rika-Meriko made another decimating explosion of pure white energy.

Once again, Mokou had to endure the pain, but at least, to her, it was no worse than dying. She then spread her wings wider and with one almighty flap of the ghostly red wings, she charged at her enemy, the wings folded to give her the aerodynamic shape needed for her burst of speed.

Kanako, meanwhile, summoned a shielding wall of compressed wind, just before the annihilating blast returned.

Mokou could not help but to wince, what with all the pain she was trying to hold in. She doubted she had enough constitution to endure another blast, immortal or not. She would probably black out from sheer pain.

She was lucky. This time, out of all odds, she was in the area clear of the blast. _So it was not an all-annihilating blast after all. It has a safe area, like a thin slice from a round cake._

And Rika-Meriko found herself staring at the ball of flames rushing at her, the immortal appearing to summon a spell card, probably to release it at point blank. She quickly summoned her black scythe and swung it at her opponent.

A dull thud and a splattering explosion. Rika-Meriko's scythe found its mark, on Mokou's stomach, causing an explosion that blew the immortal apart but Mokou's strike did not come in vain. Her fire-shrouded hand managed to impale the possessed girl's abdomen.

A hair-raising wail pierced the night.

"YOU!" Rika-Meriko howled. "IT HUUUURTSSS! AHAHA! IT HUUURTS!"

Mokou's broken body hit the forest floor, nearly cut in half by the exploding scythe. Blood was spilling out uncontrollably from the gaping wound, and the term 'gaping wound' was an understatement. She was nearly cut in half. Mokou broke into sobs from the terrible pain. It was that time again when she was wishing for death, to be able to sleep at last.

But Rika-Meriko was being merciless. Even as Kanako zoomed towards her and summoned a real, solid onbashira to crush her, she blocked it with her scythe and plunged towards the ground.

That was when the goddess summoned lightning from the heavens itself to strike the girl.

But it was blocked by Rika-Meriko's force field, just as the girl repeated her 'Novum Decimo.' After a huge flash of destruction, Kanako dropped to the ground unconscious. Rika-Meriko landed and approached the barely conscious immortal bleeding a wound that would've killed even the strongest mortals.

Somewhere nearby, with a moan, Suwako raised her head before staggering onto her feet. But Rika-Meriko ignored her, and plunged her hand into Mokou's bleeding entrails.

"No… Nooo…" Mokou pleaded in sobs. "Please… no…"

Rika-Meriko rose to the air, a dark silhouette against the crescent Moon. "Ahaha! Show yourself, Yukari!" The wound on her stomach had already stopped bleeding. In her hand was something, her trump card.

The Youkai of Boundaries emerged from a gap, and sat on it with a severe expression, staring silently.

"This is a portion of the liver of an immortal!" Rika-Meriko told her. "I am going to be deathless."

_The liver is where the elixir of immortality was stored, the curse of eternity. If one was to eat it, one shall be immortal. And if a ghost was to eat it… it shall spell an unimaginable horror._

And Yukari disappeared back into her gap, wordlessly.

"So… so…! Victory is mine!" Rika-Meriko spoke, her voice rising in trepidation. "This is it! The moment I have been waiting for! Should… should I?"

"Stop!" Suwako's voice called out.

"No!" Kanako, her consciousness returning, shouted.

"No…" Mokou moaned, still gasping in pain. Even if she was immortal, it would take her some moments before regenerating herself from such a terrible wound.

"Stop!" another voice interrupted.

That voice made Rika-Meriko raise an eyebrow. "Eh?"

* * *

_"We need you to distract her," Yukari had told Nick._

_"Why not Shika?"_

_"That girl was caged in the enemy's barrier, and she was still shocked, she neither has the strength nor the means to do it. But you, Nick, ask your deepest self. What do you know about Meriko's weakness?"_

_That made Nick turn thoughtfully silent._

_"I need you to distract her. Just one second. Make Meriko realize who she really is. Besides, you might find out something you really really want to know. I have to prepare something else, something to finally end all this nightmare."_

* * *

"Meriko, you still there?" Nick shouted from below.

"No," came the reply from the floating figure above.

"Then let me conduct a test to see if you're still there. Meriko will never fail to answer to this question."

"We're not giving up!" Kanako exclaimed, firing a laser at the girl, but Rika-Meriko ignored her.

"Amusing. What is it? I'll try not to read your mind to see if you can surprise me. Are you trying to attempt something that three gods and an immortal can't?" the possessed girl asked with a carefree tone, catching and diverting the laser with her bare hand.

"They're still fighting you! They'll never give up against your disgusting games! But… as you wish. There's a mistake that I knew Meriko would never make."

"Tell me," Rika-Meriko answered in a whisper with a wolfish grin, the bloody liver still dripping warm blood from her fingers.

Nick took a deep breath. He felt helpless. His hope was thin.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I guess Rika-Meriko is really a disturbing overpowered villain. Yes, I find it disturbing myself. No, I'm not on her side. I just made the story go along what was logic to the story line._

_Naw... I don't feel like this is my best chapter. Is it good? Tell me in the reviews._

_Teaser: So what will be the conclusion of this mind-disturbing arc? And what will be the arc that comes after?_


	16. In The Nick of Time

_Well, another achievement unlocked for last chapter: Second scene from the OP to be successfully written._

_Please tell me what you think of this chapter later. It's probably not my best, but I think it was one of my better ones._

_And thanks again to all that has been supportive of this project. I give you my deepest thanks, no matter if you find me annoying, irksome, a spoiled brat, or a crazy evil cat, whatever. _

* * *

"_And the girl admits she was but a puppet,_

_Was but a marionette,_

_Who struts along the stage carpet,_

_Acting high and mighty while truly desolate,_

_When in fact she was bound by strings_

_Tied to a greater master plan of things,_

_Just wait as I coil the gears and springs,_

_And reveal the greater master plan of things." – the Black Princess. _

* * *

**Chapter 16: In the Nick of Time**

_[Background Music: [Piano] Necrofantasia by marasy8, hosted by kkcwkoh] [Music played faintly, at the edge of hearing]_

Meriko found herself floating as if in a dream, in a gray world of blurry shapeless silhouettes and flows of sketchy formless streams of immaterial patterns. It was not unlike the time when a television was tuned to static.

But then there were images. Passing images of scenes she didn't understand. They appeared distant, and more importantly, they felt distant. She felt detached, some disembodied entity in a sea of mysteries and floating dreams and thoughts.

It was exactly like in a dream, where rules not of the sensible universe were forced on her. The rules told her that she had always existed here, she was nobody, she barely existed and that she was always this way. That she had to just let everything pass by in a stoic feeling of acceptance and let the streams carry her into god-knows-where in this twisted maelstrom of chaos.

Then she passed by windows, windows that grew bigger as she got closer, even bigger than they should have been. Looking through, instead of chaos, they reminded her of a dream she remembered, of an orderly world, where she was but a normal human girl by the name of Meriko and not just a piece of disembodied thought; where everything was physical and not just formless and fluid thoughts.

That was when she realized that she had a will. She wrestled using it to push against the streams and to peer into the windows, wondering what would they show her. She was curious, yet without a clear reason. She just knew she had to know. It was then that she realized that she was in a dream, and yet, she felt that she was supposed to be able to steer its flow, even if she didn't know where exactly would she steer it.

Trusting her instincts, she peered into the window.

"_Eheh, Meriko, I got flowers here, get well soon," _a boy's voice spoke, sounding echoed. _"And some fruits."_

"_Baka, what are you, some corny lover? Ha, are you worried, Shouta? Already missing my cruel teasing? Ehehen. You just wait, when I get better, I'll make your life hell again." _The girl named Meriko, whoever she was, replied.

"_Wow, that was harsh, even for you," _the boy replied thoughtfully.

"_Heh, well, that's for having the nerve to give me flowers."_

"_Don't misunderstand! It's just ethics!"_

"_Since when did I care for ethics?" _Meriko inquired provocatively.

"_Sigh, you're being mean again."_

"_Ehehen. Well, you should've expected that if you're going to visit me all alone like that. If it's in front of others I'll be the kind and cheerful Fuumi-san the Class Representative, but with you, I guess I'll go poke-poke-poke fun at you, you're my ball of yarn."_

The disembodied consciousness peeking through the window heard the boy's sigh as if in disappointment. _"Why does it always have to be this way, Fuumi-san? Get well soon."_

"_Ehehen."_

And then the door closed. At least, what was supposed to be a door closed, for that was what it sounded like.

For some reason, she felt sad without knowing the reason. But then, she, the one watching and voyaging through the turmoil of the sea of pieces of thought decided that there was somewhere else she should be. Her will tugged against the current again, steering her into an even bigger window.

She pressed her consciousness against the window. This time, all of a sudden, like a bubble, it popped, and the blurry streams disappeared. Instead, now she was standing amidst darkness.

The darkness diluted into a dark ashen blur, and then there were moving dark figures. She felt as if moving on her own accord, doing actions not led by her own thoughts or intentions. Blurry flashes, explosions, it all felt like she was forcefully made into playing the part of a character in a story, only that she had absolutely no say in the matter, moving involuntarily.

Echoes of voices and sounds of blasts began to reach her. But only echoes, sounding like being underwater.

That's when a figure passed in front of her. It was humanoid, not unlike a dark silhouette of herself, only that it had glowing green eyes that flickered before whatever it was disappeared. It was gone, and she didn't even bother looking to see where it went.

A confusing mesh of voices assaulted her, of an unfair battle and a desperate struggle.

_I know who you are, yet you don't know what I am, _a voice mumbled into her thoughts.

But she only stared blankly. _This is just a dream. _

* * *

"Now tell me, what mistake dents my perfect self, so I could patch it and become one step closer to perfection? Worm?" Rika-Meriko teased.

As she spoke, the wind howled and swirled around fiercely, as if coaxing the boy to give up.

Nick took a deep breath. His straight blonde hair was unkempt and his clothes were a mess, the clothes of yesterday. His gray eyes were watery from trying not to blink and show any hints of weakness. Yet his knees trembled. Here was an entity that could tear him limb to limb if she wanted to.

"Aha, ahaha," Nick cracked a grin, bowing his face. He knew his weakness. Those who knew him well would tell him that he got a pleasant and mature personality, if not for his lack of confidence.

He was reminded of the time when he sprinted forward, trying to stop the silly squabble between Mokou and the Moon princess. And then his mind went back to the time when he cornered Meriko with his logic when she tried to frame him in front of Keine. The time when a sudden burst of bravery brought him running to Meriko's aid when he saw her chasing after the snatch thief. The time when he tried to stop Shika from being pulled by the unknown force through the roof.

And Yukari chose him to be the key to foil the Class Representative monstrosity.

He realized that eyes were on him, the watching eyes of the goddesses and the elders of this Wonderland. On the mere pawn that was him.

"So… Nick, tell me why you're worth my time before I send you to sleep with another bolt of lightning?" Rika-Meriko taunted, her voice sounding no different than the Meriko that had been taunting him lately ever since their coming into Gensokyo.

"Trust me, you have no idea," Nick whispered, a crazy grin forming on his lips.

"Uh huh," Rika-Meriko cocked her head with a sarcastic smile. "Spit it out!" she commanded, as a jagged blast of lightning hit the ground in front of him.

But Nick made his way forward, stepping confidently. "Fine, strike me down, and you'll never know your serious, fatal flaw."

"Uh huh, so why can't I just tear open your mind instead?" Rika-Meriko inquired, sounding bored.

"Very well, be prepared for the worst then, Miss Class Representative," Nick muttered, giving the girl a courteous bow.

"Sure… when an ant says that, I'm so scared!" Rika-Meriko teased mercilessly.

Lifting his head and pointing right at the airborne girl, knowing that he'll regret this later, he shouted, and took his chances.

"I CAN SEE YOUR PANTIES, YOU… YOU SHAMELESS WOMAN!"

* * *

Meriko watched dolefully as the familiar figure of the boy appeared in the dark window, appearing faraway and distant below her.

That's when the shout of humiliating words broke the window, and she suddenly found herself falling through the air. She landed painfully on top of the boy, but to her horror and surprise, he rolled on top of her.

"What? Nick?" she asked, her startled voice sounding like the nice girl she usually acted as. "Wait, GET OFF ME!"

"NO!" Nick wrapped his arm round the girl's shoulders. "No I'm NOT going to!"

"What the heck-," Meriko started, and suddenly she felt as if a dead weight, like lead, was pressing on her mind.

SLAP.

To the girl's utter shock, Nick gave her a vicious slap that sent her face staring in astonishment to the ground by her shoulder. "That's for being an ungrateful wretch last time! When all I wanted was to save you!"

"What nonsense is-," Meriko started, her voice rising, but Nick cut her short again, shouting at the top of his voice.

"Snap out of it! I... I... I could SEE IT you shameless girl! You think you can look down on others! When actually it only makes your shameful side more obvious!"

That made Meriko blush and fluster like she had never been before in her entire life. "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" the girl protested. "That… THAT WASN'T ME!"

"And whose legs was I seeing? Not that thing's, but yours! You're better than that, Meriko! You're not just someone who'll just let someone from below-,"

POW.

That's when a punch hit him squarely in the face. It made Nick bit his tongue by accident, hard, but spitting out blood, he leered and said, "So fight that thing! FIGHT. THAT. HELLISH THING!"

"Just SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

"Like hell I will! Then fight it, baka! Don't let anyone tell you what you should be that is not yourself!"

"I… Why Nick, why are you doing this?" Right now, Meriko was just plain confused.

"You won't kill me, ever. I know that YOU. Just WON'T. KILL ME! Ever! I'll take my chances with that!"

"You're crazy! Crazy!"

"Ha! Now YOU'RE telling me THAT!"

"GET OFF ME!" Meriko protested. Even if the night was dimly lit, Nick could just imagine how red-faced she would look right now.

"Not if it's the only thing keeping you mad enough to pull your mind together and block that thing!"

That's when a gaping hole appeared in front of them. A swarm of ghostly spirit butterflies poured out, spinning like a vortex of gentle tornado, and a lady appeared in front of the opening. Her blue kimono matched the weak light of the silvery moon perfectly. The hitaikakushi on the mob cap she wore had a red ghost insignia, and below the cap was a pair of glowing maroon eyes that shone like otherworldly coals. The two voluminous sleeves of the kimono came together as she chanted,

"Sonoyuki no Rika, I, Saigyouji no Yuyuko, Princess of the Netherworld Tower of Hakugyokurou, bid thee farewell as I cast thee into the realm of the dead. I command and bind thee to never return, O restless soul of child of man, begone."

A huge purple blast erupted from Meriko's body, like a ghostly version of the aurora, throwing Nick backwards with a cry from the surprised boy.

A hiss permeated through the night air, as a black figure flew out of Meriko's body before being swallowed by cracking dimensions.

"Goodbye," it whispered, moments before disappearing.

And all was quiet again.

"Ufufu…" the newcomer chuckled. "Now, Yukari, I think you owe me some snacks from the outside world for the trouble?"

Yukari reappeared and gave her a grateful bow.

* * *

Shika was puzzled. It was like a scene from a gothic fantasy. She was in an ornately decorated room with black and white furnishings. There was a table in the middle of the room, and a set of tea and cookies were prepared on the table.

Yet it felt odd, as if everything was surreal. Then she found what was wrong. The point of view itself was strange. Instead of her being in her body, this time, she saw herself standing in the room as if she was but a disembodied mind watching from outside it, and yet, her body was there, acting according to what her mind commanded. Shika was scratching her head with a bemused expression, and yet, she was watching herself from another angle, as if she was the player behind a video game's controller. She could even turn her point of view around until she could stare straight into her own brown eyes. It was a disconcerting feeling. Deep inside she knew it was a dream.

That was when an echoing voice greeted her.

"Shika… it's been a long time," the familiar voice called.

"Nee-chan?" Shika asked unsurely. And she turned her point of view around.

Her sister was there again, looking completely as she used to look when she lived. All except for the green pupils and the way she was dressed. It was the same pale face, the same pointed chin, the same gentle glare that she had when she was alive. Her flowing black hair appeared smooth and shiny as if she was just done washing them.

"Now, safe in the confines of this dream dimension, Shika, I guess I can explain everything. How do I look?"

"You look amazing, Mika-nee!" Shika exclaimed.

Rika blushed. She was in a black and white Victorian dress, with frills, bows and pointed edges of fabric. On her head was a dark blue hat. "Well, I guess I'll have to look my best for once before I… pass on."

"What do you mean?"

"Have a seat, Shika, I… really miss you," Rika beckoned, her face deep in sorrow and thoughtful, sitting on a chair by the table. "Time is short. I need to explain everything that I could. Have some tea. When I'm done, if there's time, I'll listen to you instead, to see how much have I really missed all these years. How's mother?"

"Uh," Shika appeared surprised. She sat on the chair and tentatively took a biscuit. Seeing Rika nod in approval, she nibbled at its edges. "Mother… is fine." But then she released a deep sigh. "She missed you. She missed you, Mika!"

Rika sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry, Shika, I'm a terrible sister. I'm the worst sister ever! I… left you alone, just like that… I was a coward."

"No. You were possessed at that time when you took away… your life," Shika defended. "Was that right? That's what I believed, that's what… others told me, even if they refused to believe it themselves."

"Yes, I was… I was not myself at that time," Rika bowed her head, her expression remorseful. "Far from it. It was the greatest effort I could muster to say that brief… that brief goodbye to you."

"Mika-nee! I… I missed your hugs!" Shika confessed, unable to stop her tears from leaking out. She grabbed at the napkin. To her surprise, her sister pushed back her chair and in a hurry, rushed at her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Me too, Shika, me too," her sister spoke between sniffs and sobs.

The warm feeling… Shika was sure it was but a dream, and yet it felt solid, like flesh and blood. She burst into tears. "Nee-chan… Nee-chan… Uuu…" Warm tears wetted her sister's fabric of clothing but she didn't care

Moments of silence passed, only interrupted by sobs and sniffs from the silently crying girl.

"Shika," her sister began. "I know it is unfair, but… I have to explain everything to you before I disappear. Now… look into this window."

A window appeared to Shika's right, like a television screen. Through it was the real world outside, out of their minds and the safety of the conjoined dream worlds.

"This battle, it is all an act. I have no choice. I am forced by the Master, to be unable to defy her and instead be but her servant. She was the one bringing nightmare into all who dreamt, and having known too much to the extent of stealing some of her power, I was cornered and forced to follow her command."

Shika was silent as her sister continued, despite the fact that she did not understand the whole of what Rika told her.

"As you might have known, youkai feed on fear to make them grow stronger. It's because they were creatures born from fear itself, of darkness and shadows. I am now one of them. The Master used those nightmares that she gave to be the most powerful being in this little world. I was smart enough to outwit her and take some of the power for myself and yet I was found out, and is forced to obey her, or risk annihilation.

"My fight right now, my actions before…" and when Rika reached there, Shika shuddered as she remembered the eye plucking. "It is all a forced act, for the Master to think that I am acting according to her commands. Your eye, and all… it is all part of the plan. The orders were that. The Master wants Meriko's body and your eye. If I am to defy her, I'll be destroyed, or worse. I may be enslaved against my will instead.

"And so, the fight that you are seeing in this window, it is all an act. I want them to defeat me."

"What?" Shika asked, incredulous.

"Sooner or later, the Master will take my power, Meriko's body, your eye, everything and make it her own. Sooner or later she'll force me to submit me to her will. So I decided to rebel against her orders without actually appearing to do so. I go against these powerful enemies, make them hate me and go all out against me. I make them show no mercy, so that they'll make me exhaust my powers and defeat me, so I can… pass on.

"I try my best not to, so I'm glad that I didn't kill anyone… so far. I have to make sure they don't pity me, so I act crazy and evil. Let them kill me. Let them kill me. Let them kill me." As Rika repeated the sentence, she sounded detached and distant, a sorrowful look crossing her eyes. "I can't pretend that their hits didn't hurt a bit. Those… giant snakes… that was painful."

"But what if you get Meriko killed instead?" Shika pointed out, her eyes wide. "You're using her body, nee-chan!"

At this, Rika gave a wry smile. "Yukari won't kill her if she can help it. I trust her. She's a crazy genius like me. This is as far as I can go as to not make the Master wrench control and make me an unstoppable horror.

"I… I don't want to twist the world anymore. I'm done with troubling the living. I'm done with troubling you, Mother, Meriko, everyone. Even Nick. I… I just don't know how to really stop myself. Ever since in Gensokyo I have been out of control myself, it was like last time when I killed Father, but at that time I ate the spirit possessing me later.

"I… I put my trust in you, Shika. And… Meriko, she's a nice girl. Tell her I'm sorry. Please grow stronger. I… I can't…" but suddenly she stopped. "Ah, there's Nick. Amazing." Then to Shika's surprise, cracks started to appear on her sister's body. "Good. He's suppressing… me. I… I can't always be there for you Shika, please grow stronger, and…"

"MIKA-NEE!" Shika called out.

"Defeat the Master, the Black Princess! That's all I know of her!"

And after the panicky sentence, Rika was gone.

Shika was left alone in the room. It was then that she realized her sister had arranged the biscuits into an "I," a heart, and a "U."

"MIKA-NEE!"

And the world shattered around her. Everything turned black. A void, oblivion.

* * *

"It's… over?" Nick asked, as Meriko sat up, a mixed expression on her face.

"Nick?" she asked. But then she buckled over, and had her hand on her stomach. "It… it hurts…" the girl burst into tears, moaning in pain, something that Nick had never seen before his entire life. "Help… me… it pains..." Suddenly feeling something warm seeping out of the wound, she looked at her hand. "This blood… it hurts…" and she collapsed into tears again.

"Meriko! I-," Nick rushed at her, crawling, but suddenly the girl collapsed unconscious.

His hand caught a pair of loafers that appeared as if out of nowhere, and he looked up. The overshadowing figure of Yakumo Yukari loomed over him, her face looking down on him with sympathy.

A little bit behind her, Ran, her shikigami carried an unconscious Shika in her arms like cradling a baby.

Yukari kneeled in front of him, the parasol slung over her shoulder, "Nick, well done, ufufu, even though there are still many things I don't understand from her actions when she was possessed. It was as if the enemy in her was avoiding from really killing us. It gave us too many chances. And then there was the way it was carelessly spending her powers, using them up like burning away paper. If the fight had dragged on 11 more minutes, it would've run out of power and we'd get an easy victory."

Nick was silent for a few moments. "Is… Meriko okay?"

"Well, seeing as how things would've gone if you had not interfered, most probably we would've defeated it, but probably at the cost of Meriko's life. Maybe you didn't exactly save Gensokyo, young boy, but you saved this young girl."

And Nick turned silent again.

"Ufufu…" Yukari put a hand over her mouth. "Again, well done, boy. Well done, Nick. It was really in the nick of time. Don't worry, she'll be fine. That was a nasty wound, but not beyond healing. Magic could heal some things that science couldn't.

"And… Ufufu… Well done again. I was actually expecting…" at this she whispered into the boy's ear before retreating, "a confession."

"No," Nick, blushing, lied flat on his back, letting his sight fall on the stars high above. "Maybe, not yet. I don't know. I don't know."

* * *

_And thus ends this Sonoyuki Rika arc. For me to get this far… it's an achievement in itself. Sniff. What? I'm not crying. I just… got something in my eye… from straining myself over 16 chapters!_

_So what will the next arc bring? What is the Master planning? Who is she? The Black Princess?_

_Teaser: In the next chapter or chapters, there'll be an overnight winter. Maybe._


	17. After the Clash

_Hi again!_

_Anyways, for fellow authors out there, thanks, especially for those that has been supporting me. One word of advice: Never run out of surprises. Spam those Jack-in-the-boxes. One moment a character is a hero, then a villain, then a hero, and yeah, things like that, for example, theoretically speaking. Turn a character that annoys the heck out of you into someone you'll sympathize with over the course of a few chapters. Uh, well, in theory. Wait, did I really do those? _

_Ehehen._

* * *

_"Her parting words were,_

_'So many things untold,_

_My sister,_

_So many things unsaid,_

_I hope you'll remain brave and bold,_

_My sister,_

_And please don't stay sad.'_

_Hasty words indeed." – the Black Princess._

* * *

**Chapter 17: After the Clash**

_[Background Music: [Piano] Necrofantasia by marasy8, hosted by kkcwkoh] [Music played faintly, at the edge of hearing]_

"So now," Yukari spoke to the other four figures in front of her, "I hope you will not disclose of all that happened tonight to anyone else." She had her face bowed and was standing on the ground, which was relatively rare for the youkai. She meant business. "Not unless I say otherwise."

"I wonder, Yukari, why does something of this magnitude need to be kept quiet?" Kanako asked, suspicious of the youkai's intentions. Sanae had one arm behind the goddess' back, supported like a sickly person needing assistance to walk, Suwako on her other side, making sure that the young human would not collapse. Mokou was on her knees on the forest floor, her overalls having a big tear in it that was smeared with blood. Her red eyes stared with emptiness in them.

"It won't be kept quiet forever," Yukari answered, fiddling with her closed parasol. "Something of this magnitude will never be. At least, stall the moment for a while. I need to understand more before I can be sure that Gensokyo is safe. I probably understand more than any other person, but there is still so much that I still feel the need to understand. "

"So the threat is not gone," Suwako concluded.

"I have a feeling that it is not," Yukari affirmed. "Could there be two of this monstrosity?"

"Impossible!" Suwako exclaimed, despite knowing that what Yukari said was right. She heard it herself from Rika-Meriko, but to think over it again made her feel outraged. "If there's another one like that horror, we must find it immediately! Something like that could spell the end to this world!"

"Indeed," Yukari turned her back on them. A gap opened, and she stepped inside.

"Yukari-sama," Ran called out after her master, Chen clinging to her waist. "Yuyuko-sama wants to return to Hakugyokurou."

"Ufufu…" Nearby, Yuyuko playfully pressed her index finger against Nick's forehead. "So you can momentarily nullify powers and abilities, eh boy? You smell like an exorcist. That means we're natural enemies. I'm meant to try to eat you, and you're meant to ward me away."

"Ahaha… No, you're a friendly ghost I guess," Nick chuckled nervously. Feeling the ectoplasmic finger touch his forehead was disturbing.

"Unlike that last one," Yuyuko noted, putting a finger on her lips. "Want to follow me to the netherworld? Maybe you'll see someone you lost from this world there. I can send you there with a single touch, although there's no promising you'll return. Well, Youmu's calling. She's really good at making dinner, and being dinner…"

"What?"

"Ah, look at the time, Yukari's calling," Yuyuko stood up, and floated dreamily towards the gaping portal.

Despite the lighthearted way he conversed with the friendly ghost, he couldn't help but to throw a disturbed look towards the pair of unconscious girls. "Wait, Yukari-sama!" he called out, deciding to mirror Ran's way of calling her. Tonight was the first time he trusted the youkai. "Meriko and Shika…"

"You and that immortal will be enough to carry them into the village. They have healers. Here, this portal will lead you there," she said, as another gap appeared midair.

"Yukari," Kanako inquired, just as Yukari was about to step into the gap she summoned for herself. "I still don't understand why you would keep this affair a secret."

"Isn't it obvious? The other one behind this could be _anyone among us_," Yukari answered in an ominous whisper, and with those words, she disappeared. Ran gave a hurried bow before leading Chen into the gap, moments before it closed.

Turning towards Nick, Kanako said, "Thank you, Nicholas."

"Thanks," Sanae spoke faintly with a tired smile.

"Same from me," Suwako added. "Anytime you go up the Mountain, feel free to drop by our shrine. Sanae's a good cook," she ended with a wink.

"Suwako-sama…" Sanae reproached faintly.

Then the three launched to the air, side by side like a wide, grotesque figure fused at the shoulders as the two goddesses helped lift Sanae.

After a few moments of silence with the gap Yukari summoned for them hovering invitingly, Nick stood up and decided to carry either one of the girls. The thought made him blush, but seeing Mokou carry Meriko on her shoulder like a fireman, he picked Shika up and carried her princess-style. He never thought that a girl would be that heavy, but then, he wasn't exactly a man of muscles. He was glad that Mokou picked up Meriko, as that classmate of his was as tall as he, although ironically, they could never see eye-to-eye, except literally when having a fierce verbal war like the time they tried to convince Keine on who was the innocent one.

He never had a sister, so being close to a girl always made him feel uneasy. He tried not to think too much about it, but when the twin-tailed girl's head flopped to the side on his arm, the corner of the girl's mouth leaking drool, he lost it, and nearly panicked.

Mokou threw him a stare that sent chills along his back. He gulped, and decided not to give that much of a fuss. _It's just like carrying a baby, _he tried to convince himself. Mokou disappeared into the gap in front of her, and he followed suit.

They emerged by the village, where virtually all of the houses were already dark as it was probably around midnight by now. His arms already tired, he wanted to put Shika down.

That's when another of Yukari's gap appeared right in front of them and the youkai herself emerged sitting on it with a curious expression. "Now, I think we can talk better here," she said in a level tone, a folded fan in her hands. It appeared that she had planned to see them again all along, away from the Moriya goddesses. "Since what just happened tonight, I'm not going to trust anyone that easily. Anyone can have selfish intentions, and that is the root of all evil," Yukari pointed her folded fan at the boy gently. "Now, let us listen to the one who probably saw more than we all did," and with that remark, she touched the fan gently on Shika's forehead.

The girl's eyelids fluttered before opening, and as they did, much to Nick's surprise, a red tear leaked out from one of them. Shika wore a surprised and clueless expression, like a lost child. "Where… haaa? NICK?" She elbowed the boy in the stomach by reflex, making the boy lose his grip on her. She crashed onto the ground. "Owow… ouchie…" she mumbled in pain.

"At least… be sorry, will you?" Nick muttered weakly, bending over, clutching at his stomach. "Even if you don't say it."

Picking herself up, the brunette's hands were quick to reach her eye, and she appeared to be glad that the eyeball was still there. First she appeared clueless, and then bit by bit, her memories returned.

"You saw and heard what we didn't," Yukari remarked, covering the lower half of her face with the fan.

* * *

Meriko opened her eyes. She was surprised to see those surrounding her.

Shika was talking, as if she was narrating a story, while the others listened. She recognized Yukari, the youkai fiddling with her fan while she sat on a gap with her feet touching the ground. Chen was by her side, holding a white orb of light that lit the vicinity, while opposite Yukari was Mokou, the immortal girl hugging her knees, staring with a blank expression. Nick was sitting by Shika, an arm's length separating them. And she, Meriko, was propped against a wooden fence, with Ran by her side, her hands casting a healing glow over a wound on her stomach.

"And then she was gone," Shika concluded her story, a sad look on her face. The twin-tailed girl could not stop an involuntary sniff, as if she was trying to stop herself from breaking down into tears.

"What…" Meriko began, and then the others turned their heads towards her.

"She's awake!" Ran announced. "But… try not to move too much. The boundary between injury and healing is complicated. The wound will still take some time to truly heal."

Meriko realized that her dress was torn where the wound was, the circular tear having a burnt rim. The exposed skin made her feel inappropriate.

"I'm… I'm s… sorry… for giving you that wound. I… was carried away," Mokou spoke reluctantly, her gaze to the ground. From her stuttering, one would be able to guess that she was not used to saying an apology. But then, one would not expect someone of her demeanor to say sorry in the first place.

"No, I should be sorry," Meriko spoke heavily. "My hand is stained with your blood more than yours is with mine."

"Wait," Nick suddenly stood and hurriedly asked, "Yukari-sama, what happened to the piece of liver?"

Yukari unfolded her fan and turned her face aside. "Ufufu… what happened to it, I wonder…"

"You didn't eat it, do you?" Mokou asked accusingly.

"Well, you'll have to kill me to find out," Yukari shrugged dismissively. "Let's leave it at that. Besides, livers grow back."

An awkward silence hung over the scene. Taking advantage of the silence, Yukari continued, "Well, so as you understand it, Gensokyou is in danger. The end of Gensokyou will come some day, but I prefer it not to be next week. I've still yet to finish reading the Bunbunmaru. Bad articles always amuse me."

That was met with another bout of silence.

"Now I am left wondering…" Yukari continued. "Will an indestructible immortal survive if the world she is in is destroyed? Can one exist without a universe?"

"I'm not that selfish to think of my own self if the world is going to be destroyed," Nick expressed thoughtfully. "I'm sure that's what Fujiwara-san thinks."

"It's not, it's not like… I care that much, just, who ever would want the world destroyed?" Mokou mumbled. "Just… explain what you know and stop leaving us in the dark."

"Well, as I said, the culprit could be anyone. That's the only thing I am sure of now. Just… don't break the news to anyone yet," Yukari concluded, and with a flick of her finger, Ran and Chen were already by her side. "Well… it's been a long night. I'll leave you in the dark for now. Sunrise is coming," and with that the three disappeared.

Everything was dark again. The humans took some time before their eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Leave us in the dark, yeah, right," Shika said, dusting off her dress.

Mokou led them back to Keine's house, where the teacher welcomed them like a worried mother would… before asking them to repair the roof tomorrow or receive a full moon headbutt.

Mokou explained that they were attacked by a rogue youkai. She even explained the tears in her and Meriko's dress as results of the battle, with Meriko's dress being scorched by friendly fire.

That made the other three wonder if it was a good idea to hide the truth from their host, which was, in truth, irony at its best if they knew her ability.

* * *

"So… that's my side of the story," Shika ended with a whisper. She had to retell the story as Meriko missed her telling it to the others.

"I'm sorry, Shika," Meriko apologized. "I'm sorry for putting you through all those. Your eye…"

The two were already lying beneath their respective blankets, getting ready for a long night's sleep. Both girls were staring at the ceiling pensively.

"And here is one of the more amazing parts," Shika muttered sadly. "When she pulled out the eye, she used her power to block my pain, so I was not hurt. It was like anesthetic. I screamed out of fear. But… she pulled out her eye at the same time. _She_ screamed. Out of pain. She put much of her attention on me that she neglected putting herself out of pain's way." But then she stopped abruptly. "Wait… it was your eye! Was it painful?"

"I… I don't remember that part. It wasn't even in the dream. Or maybe I forgot the dream already," Meriko muttered.

"Well, sharing eyes isn't that bad, huh?" Shika reflected. She had noticed it the moment Meriko opened her eyes. The pupil of one eye was a lighter shade of brown than the other. Self-induced heterochromatism.

"Ehehen, can I have it back?" she turned to face Shika.

"I'm afraid not, Master," Shika smiled wryly, still facing the ceiling.

Meriko did not challenge the dry refusal. She was joking after all. She lied flat on her back again and took a deep breath. Silence passed between them.

"I… feel different."

_[Background music paused]_

* * *

_"And then the young tortoise passed by the sleeping hare. The hare was still sleeping, snoring soundly as the tortoise plodded its way ever closer and closer to the finish line," the older sister narrated._

_"But… nee-chan, I've heard this story before," the twin-tailed girl whined, snug under the blanket. Her sister was sitting on the bedside, completely into narrating the story, so much that once in a while, her hands would move in a lively manner to illustrate the mood of the story. Her voice was like a low whisper, but clear and slowly paced, so that the little girl could catch up with every word._

_"Are you sure?" Rika smiled knowingly. "No you don't."_

_"It sounds better when you're telling the story. It always does, but… I've read the hare and tortoise story many, many times. It's always the same thing, nothing more, nothing less."_

_"Ah… but that's because you heard it from the tortoise and the other animals," Rika did not break her smile. "Now, let's see, where was I… Ah, yes, the tortoise reached the finish line, where all the other animals awaited, and they couldn't believe their eyes. The elephants jumped aback in surprise, the birds hopped excitedly, twittering like mad, while the lion, as the judge, started to look among the animals to see if they somehow missed the hare coming to the finish line before the tortoise. The other hares started to boo and jeer."_

_"That's not nice," Shika noted._

_"Yes, they were being mean. But the other tortoises, coming out of their shell-houses when they heard the commotion outside, they were beyond shocked. All that they could do was to wave in support, because they couldn't jump or cheer loudly. But they all wore hopeful smiles. The fox told the lion that the hare could've been caught in an accident, or worse."_

_"But he was sleeping," Shika cut off._

_"Exactly. And then… the cheers died down. The tortoise was too slow, even for the short distance. They were bored already. Everyone had stopped cheering, except for the tortoises, and their voices were too slow. You've never seen a tortoise walk before, right?"_

_Shika shook her head._

_"Everyone was expecting the hare to appear any time soon, and just as they guessed, he appeared, looking all surprised to see the tortoise close to the finish line. He sprinted with all his might, but too late, with one slow step from the tortoise, the tortoise reached the finish line."_

_"I've heard that story before, Mika-nee," Shika crossed her arms._

_"But you heard it from the other animals. You never heard it from the hare himself."_

_"The hare… himself?" Shika repeated, her small face looking puzzled. _

_"It was all planned. The hare had seen how the tortoise was looked down by others. They called him names, they taunted him, and many other not-so-nice things. He had seen a young tortoise being bullied by other animals. So he decided to give the tortoise a surprise. He challenged the tortoise to a race._

_"And when in the race, he pretended to fall asleep, and let the tortoise win."_

_"Why?" Shika asked, her eyes widening._

_"Because he wanted the other animals to realize that one should not make fun of others! Or belittle others from pride," Rika exclaimed dramatically._

_"Wait… so why would he do that? Other animals will laugh at him."_

_"Well, let them laugh. It's not like it hurts, right?" Rika tilted her head. "But think about this. A rabbit, can only live ten years. But the young tortoise, he'll remember this story, this lesson, and he'll live on for a hundred years."_

_"Oh, tortoises can live _hundreds_ of years," Shika added._

_"Exactly," Rika continued. "So the tortoise will have something to be pleased about for hundreds of years, even after the hare was gone. And he can keep telling the story to other animals, so that they will remember how it is wrong to poke fun at others. And the hare, he had something to be proud of, the feeling that only he knew, that he had done something good. But of course, he can never tell the tortoise, or the tortoise will be upset."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because the tortoise will be disappointed to know that he was actually tricked, And that he didn't really win as he thought."_

_"But… that's really really weird…" Shika mumbled._

_"It is. Many things in the world depend on how you see it, or where you're seeing it from. And sometimes, you'll know the weird truth even if others would not believe you. And sometimes you will sacrifice yourself without anyone appreciating it. But… if you will feel glad, deep in your heart, that you have done something good for others, even if others do not understand it, you will not complain."_

_Shika could only stare blank-faced into the dark._

_"Mika-nee…"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"You were crying in the corner this evening, alone. Are you… being the hare?"_

_Her sister hurriedly left the room._

Shika was taking a series of deep breaths, trying to stop herself from being overrun by emotions again. Memories of eight years ago felt like yesterday. And that one was a few days before her sister was… gone. Gone from her forever.

But she failed, and rubbed her eyes. Meriko was silent, and Shika guessed that the girl was probably already asleep.

_The misunderstood hare, _Shika thought, after going through the events of the night in her mind.

_Mika-nee… you're always going to be in my memories… until the day when we shall meet again._

* * *

_[Background music resumed]_

Nick paced to and fro along the length of the small room filled with scrolls and papers. He couldn't help but to wonder if he'll ever see the real world again. His family, everyone he cared about… he missed them. But then he was also wondering how life in this world will be. He could scarcely believe that more or less, just 24 hours had passed since the time he saw Meriko facing Yukari in the alley. The most baffling thing was…

_I have no idea._

…he was baffled. About everything.

Seeing how things turned out for the day, he could barely guess what tomorrow would bring. _Hopefully a normal day. Whatever kind of normal day they have in this abnormal world._

He wondered at what Shika told them. If Meriko's attitude was largely made up of Rika's subconscious suggestions, then what kind of person would she be this time without the spirit to pull the strings?

Inwards, he guiltily admitted that Meriko was more interesting the way she was, if only she had not been so merciless on him.

But then, he realized how childish he was for selfishly thinking about… that matter when a world hung threatened by some invisible menace.

_But what can I do anyway?_

* * *

Outside, Mokou and Keine were sitting side by side, the teacher having a piece of paper on her lap, frantically reading and making corrections on every line.

Staring at the crescent Moon, Mokou heaved a deep sigh. "Keine," she spoke slowly. "How many days left until the full moon?"

"Maybe about, ten days?" Keine turned to look at her inquisitively.

"Quite some time until you're in full power again," Mokou muttered. "I wonder what could happen in ten days. My instinct tells me something big is coming. We better enjoy this peace while we can."

"You speak like a war is coming. What made you say that?"

But Mokou had already launched to the air and disappeared.

* * *

The three goddesses took quite a few hours before reaching their shrine on Youkai Mountain, even with Kanako's wind powers aiding them.

Sanae was pale and sickly as they landed. It was a tiring ride. It was all she could do to plod up the steps, into the shrine and into her living quarters. She fell into a deep sleep as soon as her body touched the bed.

"That girl had it rough tonight," Kanako remarked with a softened expression, standing at the head of the stairs. "She earned her rest."

"Now, heard any prayers about bad dreams yet?" Suwako asked, her hand running up to her hat, only to remember with a pang of loss that it was no longer there.

"No," Kanako denied. "Well, there were, but that was before they were asleep. And then there were some others after that, but given that they were just two or three persons, I think we can let those pass."

"So whatever that thing is, it's not running wild tonight?" Suwako asked. "I thought I was the only one not hearing anything much." Then she heaved a huge sigh. "I miss Pyonta."

Despite being but a newcomer, having entered Gensokyo for barely a few years, Kanako could guess that Gensokyo was in for bizarre times. She hoped it won't be anything too bad. She didn't move in to Gensokyo from the outside world only to have it destroyed.

* * *

"Any luck, Ran?" Yukari asked, standing on the gateway in front of Hakurei Shrine.

"No, Yukari-sama. I've searched the parts of Gensokyo that you mentioned," the kitsune replied meekly, standing with her sleeves put together. "That thing must be hiding itself well, or it is not there."

"Most probably it's someone we know," Yukari asserted. "Very well, now search these parts for me," she handed a list to her shikigami.

"Yukari-sama," Ran asked, receiving the list without complaining, "are you still taking that human girl as shikigami?"

Yukari shrugged. "We have yet to see if she is still worth it. Anyways, continue your search during the day. I'm visiting Yuyuko, so, please buy some snacks from the outside world for me."

"But I'm a fox, they'll see me!"

"Don't let them see you," Yukari repeated simply.

"Oh, Chen wants to pass through," Ran told her master. Without Yukari even making any movements or saying anything, another gap appeared midair.

The small figure of Chen leaped through. "Yukari-sama! Scary girl with scythe sent this letter again!"

"It's from the Yama," Ran told her master moments after recognizing the seal. "About asking to fix the barrier again."

"She's too impatient," Yukari spoke dismissively. "It's not like fixing the barrier is as simple as repairing a wall."

"Yukari-sama, isn't this the third letter of warning?" Ran asked.

"Not that I'm not trying," Yukari shrugged. "I can exhaust myself trying to repair it as soon as I can, or I can do it my way." Silence hung in the air again, the unholy hours already close to dawn. She watched the dark and silent shrine. "Good. The shrine maiden noticed nothing, so far. It probably won't be long before she'll be pulled into this affair and scold me for it. This will be a massive-scaled incident, and I hope I'm wrong with that."

"Don't worry, Yukari-sama, I'm sure we'll find the real culprit soon and solve this matter quickly."

"The way we fared with it tonight?" Yukari asked softly and yet, pointedly.

"We'll be better prepared, Yukari-sama, especially against someone worse than tonight's monstrosity. We'll ask everyone to help."

"I'm really worried, Ran," Yukari repeated.

* * *

_Sounds like… a filler chapter? I wonder… Somehow I felt that the arc needs to be concluded somehow. Is it the calm before the storm?_

_Nope, definitely not my best chapter._

_Anyways, how will this story carry itself, I wonder. Nick was right to feel baffled. I'm baffled too. _

_Just kidding. Big plans abound!_


	18. The Bloody Princess

_And thus, the new arc begins. Achievement unlocked: 1) Got past 24 hours in-story time. Which appears to take… more than 80,000 words. Uh… yeah, the same thing happened in Scorching Summer Disappearance too. Can you believe that the 70,000-worder happened along a course of, more or less, just 24 hours? 2) And got 10 favorites for this story._

_Anyways, this arc went along roughly the same timeline as Scorching Summer Disappearance, my other story. If you wish to know more about the overnight winter, you might want to read that story. Besides, things that happen in this chapter or the next few chapters probably contain spoilers to that other story. _

* * *

"_Let there be peace before the storm,_

_Let there be quiet before the thunder,_

_Let there be calm before the heavens are rent asunder,_

_Let there be silence before the blast,_

_Let there be serenity before everything shatters like glass,_

_Let there be peace before the storm." – the Black Princess. _

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Bloody Princess**

"No! Yukari-sama, you can't be serious!" Ran said pleadingly. She even hoped that the eye contact she made would make her master revoke her decision, which was unheard of before.

"I'm not joking," Yukari shrugged, sitting on the opposite end of the table, unperturbedly drinking from her cup of tea while reading the Bunbunmaru. Ran was standing with both of her hands on the table, looking exasperated and incredulous. "In the recent light of things, you are demoted from being my shikigami, your current position right now, to take Chen's position instead. You are no longer my shikigami, and you are no longer Chen's master."

"Wait, wait, Yukari-sama, this can't be happening?" Ran asked in a strangled voice, her heart sinking a few inches. Centuries of loyal servitude flashed across her mind.

"Eh? I have to make decisions for the greater good," Yukari shrugged away the complaint, not even looking up from the newspaper she had spread on the table.

"But I've always prided myself as your shikigami, Yukari-sama," Ran pleaded, her voice even more strangled than before. She even went so far as to kneel by her master's side, looking up with glassy eyes like some hungry cat begging for some pieces of morsel. "There's nothing that gives me more pleasure than doing your commands! I never failed you before, Yukari-sama!" Ran insisted, but then she added, "Much. But… I don't deserve this fate! What mistake did I do?"

"Times change," Yukari cut off nonchalantly. "Drastic times call for drastic measures."

"But… but I…" Ran was at loss for words, "then what about Chen?"

"Ah, ask her," Yukari let a small smile run over her lips. "She seemed pretty pleased with her new position. She's in the kitchen, if I'm not mistaken."

Before Yukari had finished her sentence, Ran came bursting through the doorway to the kitchen. "Chen!" she called out.

Chen was mopping the floor, wearing an apron with a pleased expression and holding a mop in her hands. "Ran-sama!" she turned to face her ex-master, probably still not knowing of the addition of 'ex-' on the title.

"CHEEEEnnn…" Ran collapsed on her knees and cried onto Chen's apron. She was no longer the lovable nekomata's master.

"Ran-sama, why are you crying, I'm happy today!"

"Wait, wh-why? Wait, don't tell me you got promoted?" Ran asked, lifting her face with a hopeful glint in her eyes. "I'll be happy for you too, Chen, if that's what happened!" Although deep inside, she admitted that Chen was still far away from being her level, which made her slightly uneasy. The nekomata was still… lacking in many aspects.

"Yukari-sama said, I'm promoted! And that this is my destiny!" Chen explained airily, even so far as to raise the mop in her hand. "This is my destiny for the next 500 years!"

"What is it, what is it?"

"Ran-sama, for the next 500 years, I'm now this mansion's janitor!"

"CHEEEEEEEEEN!" the cry shook the entire Yakumo mansion like a small bomb. That last announcement made Ran lost it. "Of all things! I didn't raise you to become a janitor, CHEEEEEEENN! Don't you know how I feel, CHEEEEEN! I wanted to see you grow up, and be the best nekomata in Gensokyo, Cheeenn! Not to be a janitor! Not to clean toilets! Not to be a janitor! And… and…"

"But, Yukari-sama said," Chen began, but Ran was already hurrying back to the dining room.

"Yukari-sama… What's happening? What's happeniiiiiiinnnnggg?" she questioned the gap youkai with tears relentlessly pouring out, as if hoping there would be some explanation to all this madness. "What's with all these changes?"

"Eh?" Yukari folded the Bunbunmaru, wearing a quizzical expression. "Isn't it obvious? I got a new shikigami. There she is, by the window."

Ran turned her head, and there she was, the shikigami, standing with her back to Ran. She was dressed in long white robes, with black hair that ran to her waist, and her face was not visible, facing the window to look at whatever sight she was taking in outside.

Ran took a deep breath, "Yakumo Ran," she greeted in what she hoped would sound courteous enough, but given her recent outburst, her voice shook. "Please treat me fairly."

That's when the figure turned, to reveal Nick in Meriko's hair, leering at her, showing rows of rotten teeth.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" and Ran woke up from the terrible nightmare, to realize that she had dozed off in the Void. The nightmare made her take a few seconds before her breathing returned to normal. Rubbing her eyes, she muttered, "That was scary, uuu…"

A few moments of silence passed, as Ran continued to meditate and pondered with thoughts that would help her to grasp the reality. _Well, I fell asleep while being worried sick, and of all places, in the Void. Of course I'll have nightmares, _she thought, while golden eyes stared at her from all directions, distant and unreachable like stars, and yet looked close enough as if only an arm's length away.

But then she wondered if the nightmare was another one caused by the Dream Breaker, whoever that was. She checked the barriers of protection she had put around herself, and was relieved to see that they were still there. _Just a normal nightmare._

Words her master had spoken to her, a very long time ago, rung in her head. It was even before that human her master was interested in entered Gensokyo. _"What makes her so special, you ask me, Ran? I'll summarize it to you. One could say that her abilities are something like the origin of magic and Gensokyo itself. In fact, if I don't take her in, she might be able to make another, smaller version of Gensokyo by herself if she is only to realize her powers. It is a very simple power, and yet, one could say that this ability in itself was the essence of all magic and the essence of all the youkai and gods that came into being. Although, I'm still intrigued as to what could've suppressed all that, and made her the human she is. The closest power one could find to compare with that would perhaps be the relationship between the Hakurei bloodline and the great barrier."_

_And now she's in Gensokyo, _Ran thought. She wondered what that would hold for the world's future. She flicked her hand, making a tear open mid-void, and she peeked through.

It was morning, and her search was not even half done.

* * *

_Day two in Gensokyo_

_[Start of background music: Piano Child of Are, hosted by kkcwkoh] [Music played faintly over the edge of hearing]_

Of the three, Nick was the first to wake up. The sun had already detached itself from the horizon.

He made his way to the living room and saw a bustle of workers with carpentry tools. A ladder was there, leading up to the hole in the roof, and underneath, Keine was supervising the works.

"Good morning, Evans," she said, one hand on her hip. "These are some men Akyuu sent from her household to fix that glaring hole in the roof. I had to say I'm sorry to her for giving that headbutt last night. It's hard to find a good person like her nowadays."

"Headbutt?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, no, just, aha, some mistake on my part," Keine gave a dismissal wave. "I mean, she was standing there, looking all exasperated and jittery under a hole in my roof. I mean, as a teacher, I need to be able to see when someone is feeling guilty of something."

"Uh…" Nick thought for a few moments. "Isn't it innocent until proven guilty?"

"Well, I suggest you pay her a visit later, she's a good host," Keine shrugged. "She may be able to tell you all a lot more about this world. I need to go to school later, I had a class to attend to. And… breakfast is on the table."

Nick caught Shika peeking out of the sliding door to her room, but the peeking eye quickly retreated. It was then that Nick wondered whether it was Shika or Meriko. Both of them now had the same heterochromatic eyes.

He looked at the men busy at work. There were three of them, all in black trousers and shirts, with a headband round their foreheads.

He went out of the front door and surveyed the damage from the outside. One of the men were sitting on the roof, by the hole, hammering a thick wooden plank in place onto the broken roof beam.

Something pointed poked at his side. "Boy, get out of my way, will you?" a stern womanly voice told him. He turned to look at the owner of the voice in alarm, and saw that it was a young lady poking at him with the tip of her pink umbrella.

She had wavy green hair that reached her shoulders, and the pupils of her eyes were a shade of red. Her skirt and vest were tartan, and her smile looked exaggerated. In her other hand was a small vase with a small flowering shrub.

"Uh, yes, sorry," he quickly went out of the way.

"And… you're stepping on a flower," the lady mentioned, her eyes widening, her voice lowering into an ominous whisper.

"Uh…" Nick turned around. He was stepping on a tiny flowering plant that grew out of a crack in the edge of the street. He quickly retreated. Not sure what to say, he quickly spoke, "Sorry?"

_Stomp._

"Ow!" The lady had stomped on his foot. Hard. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Nick apologized with tears in his eyes, holding up his foot. The blow felt like being hit by a hammer.

"Flowers have feelings too, okay?" the lady spoke to him in a sweetened tone, her face pleasantly smiling. She looked to be no more than two or three years his senior. "No matter how pathetic a life form is to you, they can still feel pain, _like I demonstrated just now,_" she ended ominously.

"My mistake, I'll be more careful," Nick said ruefully. "Nick Evans."

"I didn't come here to know your name," she said teasingly, pointing at his face with her umbrella. The point, a mere few inches from his nose, made his nape prickle. At least he was completely ignorant of the fact that in the youkai's hand, the umbrella could vaporize him with one blast. "I'll probably forget it in a few minutes, you humans all look the same to me. Well, Kazami Yuuka, sweet and honest flower-loving youkai. You'll do well to remember that."

"Nice to meet you?" he offered a hand, but Yuuka just passed by him as if he was not there, humming to herself.

Inside her house, Keine only shook her head at the sight. _To meet Yuuka, of all people… that boy sure has some luck._ She put on her shoes and stepped outside. "Well, I'll be going for now. I had to meet someone before going to class. And, Nick, Akyuu gave you three some new clothes. They're there, all folded by the table. I left the key to Meriko. Take good care of the house."

And in a few moments, she was gone.

All around, the Human Village had already awakened. The people were already going on with their daily business, all of them engrossed in the hustle and bustle of daily life. When Yuuka spoke to him just now, barely a few of them even noticed. The Human Village started its day early.

He went back inside and was pleased to find the clothes that Keine told him about were there, and that they were just the right size for him. "Finally!" he spoke his thoughts aloud.

* * *

"You can't hide things from me, Mokou," Keine said coaxingly, as Mokou sat on the doorway of her small house, hidden somewhere inside the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Most other humans steered clear of the place, as one could easily lose their way there, but Keine was more than familiar with the paths, especially to the immortal's home. Besides, like Mokou, she was very capable of defending herself.

The immortal just sat with her interlocked fingers underneath her chin, staring into the green bamboo forest. "Don't you have class every morning, Keine?" Mokou asked aloofly.

"I know it's something important that you're hiding," Keine added, bowing herself slightly with her hands on her hips. Then she caught her hat a moment before it could slip off her head. "And I knew it was something I deserve to know."

"You don't deserve to know," Mokou avoided eye contact with the teacher.

"Who else deserves to then?" Keine asked with a shrug, but not in an unkindly manner. "And if I don't, why would you appear as if you're in a dilemma whether to tell me or not?"

At this, Mokou frowned. She stood up, and brushing off the nonexistent dust on her fresh set of clothes, she said, "Come in." Keine followed her in, and then they sat round the kotatsu table. "Here, have some breakfast, then go to class," Mokou spoke bluntly before heading to the kitchen.

Keine snorted at Mokou's attempt to maintain the mask of cold bluntness. For someone having lived for more than a thousand years, the girl was a complete amateur in managing her feelings. Nevertheless, she took one of the mochi on the plate and took a small bite from it while wearing a thoughtful expression. "I assume this is from Eientei?" she asked, seeing Mokou return to the living room.

"Oh, a rabbit gave me those," Mokou shrugged, "Had to give it to the chickens before I'm finally sure that they're not poisoned."

_Hmm, so whatever she hides is not about the Moon princess, _Keine noted from the dismissive way Mokou answered her. "Did… anyone die?" she asked again, trying to give a stab in the dark. She had seen Mokou turn pale for weeks after a person losing his way in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost was found dead days later. Turned out that the person had met her before that, and refused her help. It took Keine some time to finally persuade the girl that it was not her fault.

_For someone with a hard exterior lies a completely different interior, _she thought, staring at the mochi in her hand.

"No, no one died," Mokou answered without turning to look at her, sitting stock still, not even touching the food on the table.

"But whatever you're hiding is still something important," Keine deduced. "And it's something you're not sure what to do about. You don't know what you're able to do about it. What if I can help? There's no harm in trying. If there's anyone you can trust… I'll be that person."

"You won't be able to do anything either, Keine," Mokou heaved a heavy sigh. "We both couldn't. We're not world saviors."

"So the world is in danger?" Keine asked, half amused at the slightly sarcastic way her reply sounded, if only she didn't really mean it.

"So, what can we do about it?"

"Never mind, I'm going to see the Hakurei shrine maiden myself and discuss everything with her," Keine stood up and made her way to the front door. "Thanks for the meal."

"Wait!" Mokou stopped her. "I-I mean… I'll tell what I know. I'm still confused myself. Please… don't tell anyone else unless I say so."

And Mokou recounted the events of last night, how Rika-Meriko wreaked havoc in the forest clearing, how there was supposed to be someone else behind the scenes causing the nightmares and planning something unpleasant, and how the three newcomers got tangled in the matter. Keine listened to Mokou without taking her eyes off her, not saying anything while remaining perfectly attentive.

When Mokou finished, Keine stood with a concerned expression, and the immortal realized that the teacher needed to hurry to her class. She stood up, and Keine said, "Mokou…" staring into the girl's eyes.

"Y-yes?" Mokou was still unsure whether Keine was going to say that she was in trouble, or Keine was sympathetic.

_BUMP. _And Mokou fell onto the floor with a dull thud.

"YOUKAI ATTACK, MY TAIL!" Keine scolded, sounding perfectly like a mad teacher. "And those three nearly got themselves killed for this! AND YOU THOUGHT I SHOULDN'T KNOW? You're in trouble, missy," she crossed her arms and stared at Mokou as if she, Keine, was ready to burst into flames any second now.

"Yukari said not to tell others," Mokou rubbed her temple, waiting for her sight to become focused again. All the years she had known Keine and she was still unable to predict when the teacher was going to use her notorious headbutt.

"That youkai wants no one to know anything!" Keine asserted angrily. "You asked me what to do? I'll tell you what to do. This evening, we are going to see that Hakurei girl and let her know. She'll know what to do. Her instinct is rarely wrong."

"Like the time she went after me?" Mokou challenged, referring to the time when Kaguya sent the Hakurei shrine maiden to assassinate her, and Keine failing to stop her on the way.

"I don't like the blunt way she thought that danmaku battles solve everything, and the same goes to her black-and-white friend, but letting her know if Gensokyo is in danger is the first sensible thing to do!"

"But the green-haired shrine maiden knew already," Mokou contradicted.

"We can never get enough help if it comes to the safety of this world," Keine replied, her voice finally lowered to normal. "Remember how when the Moon was stolen, even the vampire and the ghost went to solve the incident?"

At the indirect mention of Kaguya, Mokou sighed. The Moon princess hid the real Moon once, replacing it with an illusionary one. In addition to the usual Reimu and Marisa, even Yuyuko, the ghost princess of the Netherworld, and Remilia, the vampire mistress of Scarlet Devil Mansion went to make Kaguya return the stolen Moon.

"It's final," Keine crossed her arms and walked out of the house. "Either I'm going with you, or I'm going without you. And… you should apologize to Meriko for making me think it was her who blew apart Kotohime's arm, and not an evil spirit!"

Mokou was at loss for words. She had to admit inwardly that of all people, no one understood her like that were-hakutaku.

* * *

Meriko sat on the doorway facing the street. Her head pounded, probably from last night's incident. The passersby would sometimes catch a glance of her and they quickly hurried away. She realized that it was probably from what happened yesterday, when she blew Kotohime's arm into bits. Now they probably thought of her as a danger to every living person. She had to admit, someone who potentially could kill with just a thought _was_ beyond creepy.

Then Shika came to her side. "Master?" she asked.

That made Meriko pause and think. "Yes, Shika?"

The girl took her place on Meriko's side. "Are… are you okay?"

"Ehehen. You all are thinking what kind of person I am going to be, right?" Meriko said cheerfully. "I feel different. That's all. If I am different in any other ways, I've yet to find out."

Shika lowered her glance which, a moment before, was fixed onto the street. "My sister, like you, was a storyteller. She wrote stories too, and… she left her greatest story unfinished. It was going to be a novel, and… it was half-done by the time of her death."

"I see," Meriko replied pensively. "So, when we first met, you thought of continuing her legacy by asking me to work together with you sharpening our writing skills. Who knows? Maybe that was what she had prepared me for."

"Remember our ambitions? To be the best collaborative writers in the fiction genre?" Shika reflected, of things years ago. "To choose the path so many others would not dare to take the risk? When others would prefer a future chained to companies and corporations? To seriously learn the language that will send our works across oceans and continents?"

Meriko nodded with a wistful smile. That was their dreams, one of the main things binding together their friendship. A common interest: To create a dream world, while enjoyably securing their fates in the real. And yet it was a risky endeavor, that they decided to tone their skills for a few years before deciding to start something really serious. And then there was the thing on language. They chose to learn English, as it was the language of the world. They dreamt big, and wanted their works to transcend Japan.

"And now… we're living in the world of dreams itself," Shika continued. "Are you pleased, Master?"

Meriko was thoughtfully silent. She was not sure of the answer. The fierce determination that had made her reject Yukari's offer of giving her access to the outside world seemed to have dimmed with Rika's absence. "I don't know. Maybe we have yet to know if there is really a happy ending there waiting for us."

"Excuse me," a girl with a pair of sheathed swords slung behind her back greeted. She was slightly taller than Shika, had short straight silver hair that didn't reach her shoulders, and was garbed in a dark bluish-green dress. However, her most noticeable feature would be a formless white blob as large as she was, following behind her like a dense white cloud. From the way she walked, it would seem that she was avoiding the sun whenever possible, although when she passed under sunlight, it did not seem to cause her any harm.

"Yes?" Shika asked.

"Did you see Suika, with watermelons?"

"Eh?" Shika did not truly understand the girl's question. "Who?"

"She's an oni, with a pair of big horns on her head," the girl asked. "I think she's my height. Oh yeah, because she's an oni, she had chains dangling from her arms."

"Um, no, I'm afraid we haven't seen… _her?_" Shika couldn't help but to wonder. She had heard of oni in Japanese folklore, but she had never considered the possibility of a female one. The same as how most Westerners wouldn't have considered the possibility of a female ogre or goblin.

Both the girl and the cloud behind her appeared to droop from disappointment. "Never mind. Thanks," she bowed politely before making her way. The two then noticed that in her hand was a sack filled with food.

"She's a youkai," Shika whispered.

"How do you know?"

"My eye could see it," Shika replied. "That thing behind her exudes youkai energy."

"If your eye can see it, shouldn't your other eye, that I have right now, be able to see it too?" Meriko mused. Shika only responded with a shrug. "I guessed that she's a youkai too," Meriko told her.

"How?"

"The villagers are afraid of me," Meriko deduced. "She approached me with no fear at all. Don't you see how they seemed to avoid being in my field of view?"

"Heh," Shika couldn't help but to snigger. "Don't worry, I won't be scared of you. If I am, then I'm worse than Nick."

"Ehehen," Meriko chuckled. "Maybe I'll accidentally blow you into raining bite-size pieces of meat."

"That's funny," Shika remarked teasingly.

"Ehehen. It's not." The thought made her feel both guilty and apprehensive but, inside, she decided to pay Kotohime a visit later.

* * *

The men fixing the roof completed their work sometime later, as the sun rose higher and higher. Meriko asked them the way to Kotohime's house, but they only shrugged in response. The eldest carpenter, however, suggested that she visit the Hieda mansion, as Akyuu was interested in knowing her better. Besides, Akyuu was a kindly host, he told her.

Soon the three were making their way to the Hieda mansion, home of Akyuu the Child of Miare. In Meriko's conversation with the head carpenter, the man explained how Akyuu was the ninth Child of Miare, the reincarnation of a line of historians that recorded the history of Gensokyo.

They arrived in front of the imposing gates of the mansion encircled by a wall. The guards, having recognized them, let them in, although Meriko noticed that they were eying her with suspicious glances.

A purple-haired girl greeted them as soon as the gates opened. It was Akyuu herself. This time she was wearing a peach-colored kimono with flowery patterns. "Welcome," she greeted, "to my humble domain. We have been expecting you."

'Humble domain' was an understatement. The mansion was fairly large, especially when compared to other houses in the Middle Age village. It even had a pond of lotus flowers amidst a Zen garden of peace.

Their host invited them for a drink, and later, she started her line of questioning. At least she presented her questions politely, making notes as Meriko answered, while Nick and Shika would add details or points that Meriko missed.

"But… aren't you scared of me? Even if what happened yesterday was an accident, doesn't everyone think it's dangerous to be near me?" Meriko couldn't help herself asking.

"If you consider yourself dangerous, I've interviewed dangerous youkai before," Akyuu replied in a natural way. "Yes, mostly my sources are other people, but once in a while I may ask the youkai herself. Besides, you're a fellow human, and you're from the outside world, how harmless can you be? So, how does the thing you outsiders call 'mobile phones' work? How do you make them?"

And it went into an extended conversation on how things were in the outside world, with Akyuu's line of questioning sometimes going into details of modern life that they themselves did not know the answer, like, how a mobile phone was made.

She later shifted the topic to ask about Meriko, who she was and what her abilities really were.

"I don't really know," Meriko replied. "It was more like, I could use energies to change things. I can curse people, I can make myself lucky, although with unpredictable success rate, and that was in the outside world. Ever since I entered Gensokyo, I found myself able to manipulate energy and matter. I could read minds, and I could transfer my powers to others. But… that was before the spirit possessing me was gone."

"Spiritual possession?" Akyuu pointed out.

"Um… yeah," Meriko decided to tell the historian anyway, despite Yukari telling them not to let anyone else know. Meriko decided not to confide too much, just that she was possessed by a spirit, and that was how she blew Kotohime's arm by accident. She told Akyuu that it was now gone.

"So how did you exorcise it?" Akyuu asked, her young face filled with curiosity.

"A friend of Yukari's helped," Meriko hastily answered, the color suddenly rising up to her cheeks. Nick quickly faked coughing to stop himself from grinning like a fool. Shika gave him a sharp jab in the ribs.

The interview ended up longer than Meriko thought it would be. In fact, she was not expecting it to be an interview in the first place. But then, she realized that she was being silly for not expecting it.

"You know, talking about Kotohime," Akyuu began, "I think you better stay clear of her for now."

"Why?" Nick asked, unable to help himself from asking.

"I don't think she's ready to forgive you," Akyuu threw a sad glance on the scroll she was scribbling on.

"Does she want revenge?" Meriko asked.

"I don't know. She didn't seem so right in the head the last time I saw her, which was just this morning," Akyuu explained dolefully, as if Kotohime was a close friend of hers. "If you see her, just run away, don't think too badly of her and please forgive her."

* * *

_[Background music paused]_

After graciously having lunch provided by the host, they stood and bid farewell to Akyuu. The girl escorted them to the mansion gates, and Meriko frowned when she noticed that the guards appeared glad to see them go. The sun was already directly overhead, stinging their necks as if a colossal hand above had put a giant magnifying glass between them and the sun.

Meriko cursed their luck when, on the way to back, they bumped into none other than Kotohime herself.

She was still wearing a purple kimono with the flower markings, but one sleeve hung loose and was stained a grisly shade of dark brownish-red, the kimono of yesterday stained with dried blood. Her hair was unkempt. The yellow ribbon that usually tied it together was gone. And to add into their horror, she produced a sheathed sword from under her kimono.

"YOU! YOUUUU!" she roared, draining all blood from Meriko's face.

Nick and Shika was already pulling at Meriko's arms, urging her to run away, but she stood as if rooted to the spot.

"GIVE ME BACK MY ARM!" Kotohime pointed with the sheathed sword. "GIVE IT BACK! I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DID IT, BUT GIVE IT BACK!"

Meriko doubted a lion's roar could scare her more than this woman's. She hastily retreated, but found herself cornered against the wall of a nearby house. To her consternation, the girl pounced at her, making her quickly summon a pulsating shield of energy by reflex.

Kotohime bumped against the iridescent wall. She collapsed to the ground wailing, "I don't _care _anymore! Just, anything! Anything! Please… give me back my arm! You don't know… how hard it is for me… how it hurts… how it feels to lose it! How it feels… to live… without it!" she spoke between sobs, her condition worse than a crying child.

"I… I can't," Meriko stuttered, "I never make lost body parts regenerate before."

That's when with a metallic sound, the princess pulled out the sword from the scabbard. "THEN IT'S AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AN ARM FOR AN ARM!"

A clatter of chains, and the sword blow was stopped. Between Meriko and Kotohime, stood a ginger-haired girl who was about Shika's height with a pair of large wavy horns jutting out of her head not unlike an antelope's. She had a gourd hung by a strap that was slung over her shoulder. Her eyes were locked into Kotohime's in a fearless stare, while with one hand, she held the chain running from her other wrist to block the naked sword.

"What's this?" she asked. "Even us oni don't kill each other like this."

"Out of my way, you, RUNT!" the deranged girl yelled, but with one chopping blow from the oni, the sword was thrown off the wielder's hand, falling onto the ground broken into two, the cold glimmer of steel reflecting the white hot glare of the sun.

A heavy silence hung between them. Nick and Shika were standing hopelessly by Meriko's side, at loss for what to do. The oni still had her eyes locked onto Kotohime's. Meriko was clutching at the front of her dress, as pale as sheet.

Kotohime collapsed onto her knees, sobbing. "I… I was just going to make her do it… I was going to make her mend my lost arm…"

"You could've killed her," the oni said sternly. "An ambush is not the way to duel."

"I'll… I'll try," Meriko spoke softly, stepping forward. Kotohime stared at her with such ferocity as if she was trying to burn her alive with her glare.

"I don't know what's going on here," the oni started, "but I'll not risk any blood spilled while I'm here. Reimu will not be pleased to hear that people are killing each other in the Human Village."

Meriko focused and cleared her mind off distractions, so that the only thing that was left was her, and the lost arm. She approached the one-armed girl in front of her, and put a hand on her shoulder, feeling Kotohime shudder from the touch. She imagined every bone, muscle, skin and sinew, and slowly repeated the image in her mind over and over, as a soothing white glow formed round her hand.

"It… it feels good," Kotohime mumbled.

But then, there was an explosive spurt of blood, and blood dripped out of the hanging sleeve, staining the ground with the thick liquid. Meriko fancied she could see wisps of black smoke rising from the shoulder, as Kothime let out a terrible scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Even the oni was not fast enough to stop her as she sprinted away from the scene. "CURSE YOUU! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOUU!"

And the mad princess Kotohime was gone.

Words Akyuu had spoken ran through Meriko's mind. _If you see her, just run away, don't think too badly of her and please forgive her._

_That means Kotohime was not supposed to act like this! That was not her usual self! What if there was something else completely inside of her? That's what I felt, that dark presence that tried to stop me just now!_

"After her!" Meriko broke into a sprint, but the oni was faster than her. The oni chased through the lane Kotohime slipped through. That was when a mist spread itself from between the houses. The mist later dissipated, and, a moment later, the oni returned with empty hands.

"She's gone," the oni announced. "Even after I spread myself into a mist. What the heck is happening here?"

"I don't know," Meriko answered, not sure what to make of the situation anymore.

"Ibuki Suika," the oni introduced herself. The other three introduced themselves in response. "How can that human hide herself in seconds even after I spread myself in an all-covering mist?"

"There's something wrong with her," Shika inferred. "Kotohime was… a princess, right? What if she was the Black Princess herself?" Meriko had to admit that it was as if Shika was reading what was in her mind.

"Ibuki-san," Nick told the oni, "look for her if you can, we're at Keine's house."

And they left Suika standing alone in the sun with a puzzled expression. The oni shrugged, and poured the contents of the gourd she was carrying into her mouth. "Why am I doing this?" she spoke her thoughts aloud.

* * *

_[Background music resumed]_

The three returned to Keine's home, feeling disoriented and shaken by the experience, as if yesterday's experience was not enough.

They found Mokou waiting for them on the porch, looking thoughtful.

"Uh, hi?" Nick greeted. Mokou reacted with a near-indiscernible nod.

"Nothing much happened," Mokou told them. "Just some half-ghost asking me to grill yakitori. How are things on this side?"

And Nick told her of what transpired between them and Kotohime.

"And you left it to an oni that understands nothing of the situation?" Mokou asked, incredulous.

"We're… shaken, we don't think we can take it anymore," Nick took the responsibility of answering as Meriko and Shika remained silent. Meriko was having her head bowed, speechless, while Shika was holding the girl's upper arm, looking concerned at her master's current troubled state.

"I'll tell you what I think," Mokou stood, letting her long hair hung loose, nearly reaching the ground. "JUST LOOK FOR HER, YOU SISSIES! Don't you realize how that gap hag said this can spell the end of this world? And here you are, whining that you can't take it anymore! As your coach, if I see you still here after this, there'll be _hell_ to pay!" and when she said hell, she showed a fiery fist. "Don't come home until you've scoured every inch of this village!"

The three practically scrambled away in alarm after being castrated by the coach. They felt stupid for not doing the sensible thing.

"You know, I wonder why, but it feels awkward to be stuck together like this, especially with you, Nick," Meriko commented in a low mutter. They had learnt to ignore the fearful and unfriendly glances that some of the villagers threw at them. A youngster even threw a tomato at them before running away. They thought better than to chase after him.

"Well, don't blame me," Nick shrugged. "We can split, searching for her alone, and save much time, but what if we got attacked in the way?"

"But if we're attacked while being together like this, what difference does it make, if we'll get overpowered in the end?"Meriko criticized.

"A better chance at surviving," Nick replied. Then, scowling, he spoke, "You don't sound like yourself, Meriko, you're not as confident as always."

"Take some time to understand," Shika reproached. "What would you feel if you have someone blaming you over something like that? And nearly losing her mind?"

Nick turned silent at the thought. He knew that fact, and he didn't like it.

* * *

As they walked, going through street by street, lane by lane, Kotohime was nowhere in sight. A cloud passed overhead, making them sigh in relief. The sun had been beating down on them. Hard.

Suddenly there was an abrupt change in the air. It felt as if the hot air was suddenly pulled inward by a strong force, like water in a tub when the plunger is pulled. The sun's rays weakened, and stung no longer. The blinding orb of light was now a lot dimmer, like how it looked in winter. A cool breeze remained.

"Wait, what just happened?" Shika asked inquisitively.

"It… I don't know, it just feels different. The sun is weakening," Nick replied.

"The sun's intensity dropped by thirty-two percent," Shika deduced after a few seconds of staring at the sky.

"I wonder if it's already beginning, whatever that's coming," Meriko said thoughtfully.

"Nee-chan!" a panicky voice called out. "Nee-chan!" a small girl, looking to be about eight years old, approached the three, running. The skinny girl had flowing black hair, and her blue eyes had a piercing quality to it. In her hand was a rag doll.

To Shika's surprise, it was as if only she could see the girl. Meriko and Nick seemed to completely ignore her, continuing their walk forward.

"Wait! Stop for a while!" Shika called out after them, but they walked and left her behind. The little girl had reached her already, and was tugging on her elbow.

"Run! Run!" the little girl said in a panicky voice. "I saw something terrible coming your way, Nee-chan!"

But then the little girl screamed, and a heavy blow struck at Shika's head from behind. Everything turned black for her.

* * *

_I found this chapter quite a confusing mix. Things were not very pleasant here. But at least… they found a lead to the Black Princess. Or was it really?_

_Please tell me what you think, or guess. It's going to be a mysterious downslide towards revealing the true culprit._

_Teaser: Overnight winter. What happened to Shika this time?_


	19. A Snowy Summer

_Now let's go on to the next chapter. I repeat, this chapter crossed with my last story, Scorching Summer Disappearance. You might want to read that story to understand it better, about the overnight winter. Besides, there will be major spoilers to that story in this chapter. Never mind, your choice. :)_

_If you have read it, try to spot the crossed parts. Achievement unlocked: 1) Scorching Summer Disappearance just reached 10 favorites. And SIC is getting ever closer to the 100,000 words barrier._

_And… on a less optimistic note, I'll be away for 9 days. NINE days. KYUU! Ah well, that's real life for you._

* * *

_"The fox is searching for me,_

_So I decided to cover my trail,_

_Isn't this ironic, oh Miss Kitsune?_

_'tis said that a fox sweeps its tracks with its tail." – the Black Princess._

* * *

**Chapter 19: A Snowy Summer**

_[Start of background music: 東方 __[Piano] Extend Ash ~ Hourai Victim, looped]_

"Where's Shika?" Meriko turned in alarm. It was an odd feeling. One moment she was sure that the girl was between her and Nick, the next she disappeared. It felt as if her mind wandered or went blank for a second and then Shika was gone. It was like a waking dream.

Her exasperation increased when she realized that Nick was as surprised as she was to find Shika nowhere in sight. Her hand was quick to reach the boy's throat. "Where is she?" Meriko grabbed at his collar and pulled him towards her, hard, so much that she hurt her elbow.

"I don't know! It was as if my mind went careless for a few seconds, and then she was gone!" Nick spluttered, as clueless as Meriko was. The girl let go, and scanned the surroundings.

It was as if no one else noticed. They were going on with their daily businesses, a man busily attending to customers to his trinket stall, a lady leading two of her children with her hands, a little girl slipping through the crowd as she ran, a mixed crowd of people wanting to look for things to buy…

And then the running girl reached them.

"Nee-san! Nii-san!" the girl greeted them, panting heavily. She appeared to be not more than nine years old, with piercing blue eyes and flowing black hair, and was garbed in a one-piece dress that resembled a pale blue nightgown. "They took away your friend! There! In the storehouse!"

"Where?" Meriko put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"Second to the right, then turn left!" the girl replied, almost running out of breath.

_Wait, she looks familiar, _Meriko thought. Then she saw the rag doll in the girl's hand. _Kamakama. _"Wait, Ruri, isn't it?"

"Yes!" the girl replied. "Please Ofuumi-sama! They took your friend! They looked really weird! Like evil!" the girl exclaimed between heavy pants.

"Who?" Nick asked, pale-faced.

"Evil people!" was the girl's only answer, and before Nick could ask for more information, Meriko yanked his hand, hard, and said, "Let's go!"

That was when Mokou came out of a side alley, and nearly bumped into them literally. "Eh?" she appeared surprised to see them in a hurry. Gathering her thoughts, she asked, "You found her already?"

"No! But Shika was kidnapped!" Meriko replied hurriedly before resuming her run. Turning to the right, hoping inwardly that she did not take the wrong turn, and that the girl was right, she continued along the way, slipping between the peasants and passersby, ignoring their puzzled glances.

Nick was about to make the turn when a scream made him turn to look behind him.

A man snatched away the little girl like carrying away a doll, the girl struggling and screaming in his hold.

"Damn," Mokou cursed. She was just about to hurry after Nick and Meriko, but seeing the girl kidnapped in front of her made her reconsider. But seeing the man sprint away, bumping rudely against the other passersby, with no one trying to stop him enraged her. She sprinted before taking off to the air. Her feet left the ground, and she was hovering over the streets, trying to spot the kidnapper. As soon as she saw him entering a house and barricading himself in, she zoomed forward in a burst of speed, landing right on the doorstep.

* * *

Meriko hurried forward, looking for any of the buildings along the street that would look like a storehouse. Not seeing any, she went to a middle-aged lady, asking in a half shout, "Where's the storehouse here?"

The lady pushed her away and scolded, "Stay away from me, you _monster!_" before leaving her hurriedly, which left Meriko feeling more hurt than she would've imagined.

"It's there!" a man with a goatee pointed to a side alley.

"Thanks!"

The man only nodded, his jaws shut as if not sure if he was supposed to tell her that.

Slipping through the alley, stray cats scrambled out of her way as she dashed forward, and she nearly stumbled over a box in the middle of the alley. The storehouse was as big as half of Akyuu's mansion, except that it had only the ground floor.

Reaching the door, it was then that she realized that Nick was no longer with her. She deliberately crashed against the door, and discovered that it was locked.

Clenching her fist, she decided not to wait; she'll break down the door. But first, she thought of trying to sense any other presence just in case Shika was not really there. After trying to read the minds of any sentient beings around, she sighed heavily when all that she got was silence. It would mean that with Rika gone, for some reason, she no longer possessed the ability to read the minds of others. She had tried the same thing when searching for Kotohime, and right now, when she was truly desperate and in need of the ability, and her mind still being silent, it disappointed her. Clenching her teeth together, she stretched her arm, and to her delight, her black energy scythe appeared. Probably this would be the first time she would be able to use it as truly Meriko.

* * *

Shika opened her eyes. What she saw was only the underside of a thatched roof, high above. It was dark, with only the slightest amount of light leaking through holes in the roof granting her sight in the enclosed space she was in. She tried to move her arms, and discovered that they were bound. She was tied onto a wooden table with thick ropes round her wrists, her ankles, and even her neck and waist. The rough texture of the ropes made even the slightest movement uncomfortable, and she didn't want to risk wounding herself on them.

Feeling helpless and alone, terror rose in her when she realized that she had just been kidnapped, and couldn't help but to have all kinds of horrible thoughts cross her mind. Her head still hurt, and that reminded her of her last moments before losing consciousness. Her eyeballs stung.

She couldn't see much from her viewpoint, especially when movement was nearly impossible. The air was musty and stale, and smelled of dust and neglect.

Her heart thumped fast against her ribcage when she saw the figure approaching her from the edges of her sight. She decided to pretend to be still unconscious, closing her eyes. That's when she felt a tear trickling down her eye, the one that was once Meriko's. She prayed inwardly that whoever that person was would assume that she was still unconscious. She tried to make her breathing appear natural, but that was a feat in itself.

That's when an explosion shook the entire building. She jerked her arms by reflex, and only realized a split second later that her sudden movement would've made her captor realize that she was awake.

* * *

Mokou shouted out her warning, "Open the door this instant, or I'm going to break it down!" and after getting no response from inside, she flew onto the roof to make sure that there were no other exits from the small house. She discovered a back door and two windows, but they were shut tight, and there were no indications that the man running into the house had exited.

"Here goes," she mumbled, and grabbed the edge of the roof, swinging down like a gymnast before using the momentum to kick the windowpanes open. They did, and she let momentum carry her forward, slipping through the window gracefully, and rolled like a ball on the floor before standing up.

She was inside what appeared to be a one room dwelling, with nearly no furniture except for a low table and a folded futon. The tatami floor was dusty, but what perplexed her the most was that there was no trace of the man. Even after staying alert, waiting for her eyes to get adjusted to the dim light, she could find no place for the man to hide.

Lighting a flame hovering over her palm, she scanned the derelict room. She noticed an unnatural smell in the air, reminding her of sulphur. After looking carefully, her eyes caught grimy shoeprints on the floor, which seemed to lead into the middle of the house before disappearing.

Realizing the oddity of the scene made her heart skip a beat. But then, she tried to deduce that the man might have taken off his footwear midway and carried it with him as he ran.

_But to where?_

The back door was still locked, as with the other window. If he had opened them, she would've known.

Impatient, she broke the door open, and hurried out into the alley behind it. She went to a man sitting thoughtfully on his doorstep, staring morosely at the street. "Did you see a man carrying a girl come out from that house?" she pointed at the house she had just exited.

"No, ma'am," he shook his head hurriedly.

She grabbed the man by his collar, and repeated her question, "Did you see him? I know a liar when I see one, so don't try or I'll make you taste hell," she threatened in a whisper, flames shrouding her other hand.

"I swear! I swear! I didn't see him anywhere! If I said I saw him, you'll know that I lied and you'll burn me anyways," the man spluttered, and she let the man go.

Even if she didn't manage to get a clear view of the kidnapper's face when she chased him, she remembered that the man's clothing was different. She even remembered his posture and built, the kidnapper being a round-shouldered and skinny-limbed man.

There was no one else in sight in the narrow alley, so she decided to launch to the air and survey the surroundings, even flying across the Human Village. The result disheartened her. Nothing.

* * *

Meriko twirled the scythe, astounded by its balance and how easily it moved in her hand as if it was following her will instead of the laws of physics, and brought it down hard on the doorframe.

It resulted in an explosion that threw her backwards and left the door hanging on its hinges. Not deciding to dawdle, she burst into the storehouse with her weapon ready, even if the shock from the explosion had not left her. She remembered how the girl had mentioned that there were many kidnappers.

Realizing that she was going to be alone against a mob of kidnappers made her feel uneasy. She summoned a pulsating force field in front of her, but was met with no response. She sidled into the storehouse, her back close to the wall, not knowing what to expect.

_[End of background music]_

That was when Kotohime herself appeared in front of her, the kimonoed young lady as pale-faced as a corpse. Meriko's heart skipped a beat from shock, but she maintained her composure and kept Kotohime a scythe's reach away. Kotohime retreated, looking as confused as she was, silently holding up her only hand. She looked like a fugitive from an asylum.

"Where's Shika? Where's my friend?" Meriko asked, her scythe ready to be brought down if ever Kotohime would react with hostility.

"She was here," Kotohime spoke, her voice trembling as if she herself was afraid, which made Meriko fear even more for the young lady's sanity.

Meriko tried to maintain her collected composure, and asked in an emotionless voice, "What have you done to her?"

"She let me go," Shika came out of the shadows, rubbing her wrists. "I… I don't know who took me here."

"This… this is not what it appears to be like," Kotohime stuttered.

"Guilty until proven innocent," Meriko replied mercilessly. "Shika," she motioned with her hand, and the twintailed girl went to her side like a child to her mother, clinging to Meriko's side. "Explain."

"I have no idea-," Kotohime began, but Meriko cut her short.

"Not you."

"I have no idea either, Meriko," Shika repeated. "Someone knocked me unconscious with a blow to the back of my head, and when I came to, I was here, tied with ropes to a table."

"What's with your eye?" Meriko asked, a mixture of cold inquisition and wavering uncertainty lacing her voice.

"Eh?" Shika put a hand on her eye, the eye that was once Meriko's, and both of her eyes widened when she realized that it was not tears that leaked out, but blood. "B… blood. It… it stopped last night," she mumbled.

"What's your story?" Meriko lowered her voice threateningly, pointing her scythe at Kotohime.

"It was the same! I remembered nothing, and all of a sudden, I was here! the last thing I remembered was… you," Kotohime pointed at Meriko.

"Meriko-san!" Nick's voice called out from outside, and a second later, the boy appeared at the door, with Keine by his side. "Is everything-," he was about to ask, but he shut his mouth upon seeing Kotohime being held back at scythe's point by Meriko.

"Yes, we have a most suspicious individual here," Meriko mused, and with a flick of her finger, the scythe she gripped turned into a black sword with a long, thin blade, a much more fitting device to point at Kotohime.

That's when Kotohime collapsed on her knees, crying like a little girl. Her face buried in her hands, her words, spoken between sobs, were hard to discern, "Uuu… I ged id, I GED ID! I'b de worst cop EVER! Lock be up! I failed… I failed… I FAILED TO DO ADYTHING! I was pathetic! PATHETIC! Lock be up! Who knows what could've I done…"

Keine didn't say anything. Instead, she stood there with her mouth half open, still trying to understand the situation. When Nick, having seen her by accident, told her that Shika was kidnapped, she didn't know what to expect, and was probably preparing herself for a battle, but right now, she was confused.

Much to everyone's surprise, Meriko swooped down and put her arms round the crying law enforcer, her knees on the ground, embracing Kotohime tight in a hug. "I'm sorry," Meriko whispered in Kotohime's ears. "I'm sorry. It's gone. That thing's gone," she whispered. "I can feel it. That evil thing inside of you… it's gone. It was the same with me. It was not me taking away your arm. It was something else inside me. It was gone too. We both feel terrible."

Kotohime continued to wail tearily.

* * *

After dropping Kotohime at Akyuu's mansion, and having known that Kotohime was temporarily employed by the Hieda household for security-related duties before the unfortunate incident when she lost her arm, Keine and the trio of outsiders made their way back home.

Meriko couldn't help but to feel disturbed by Kotohime's condition. She might've been sure that whatever dark presence inside Kotohime was gone, as that was what she felt when the young lady was in her arms, but she guessed that it was still a long way before Kotohime would return to her usual self. The fact that the Hieda household trusted her enough to employ her help would mean that she used to be a lot better person before this.

_Why did she attack me yesterday? Over a line of baseless accusations?_

She remembered how the princess was deathly quiet after she stopped crying. She looked sad and troubled, and when Meriko spoke to her, asking if she forgave her for taking away her arm, Kotohime only turned her face away in bowed silence.

By her side, Shika was walking with steady steps as if she was trying to show that she was alright. Nick was treading forward with a dreamy look on his face. Keine was carrying a pile of scrolls and books that she had put down when Nick met her and told her about Shika being held in the storehouse.

The day had grown gloomier and murkier since the sun dimmed. Right now, a cool breeze started playing against them. The village folks appeared unsure of the weather, as if expecting something truly unnatural to happen out of the blue.

They walked past a stall owner who was quickly closing his stall as if expecting it to rain anytime soon. He was being sensible. Dark clouds marched across the sky in droves, slowly but surely coalescing into an even bigger mass.

The four of them were worried about the fate of the little girl who had told them of the incident, as Mokou was nowhere to be seen since she chased after the little girl's kidnapper. They hoped that both of them were alright.

They felt better when they saw the familiar figure with ridiculously long hair and red overalls sitting on Keine's doorstep. Seeing their inquisitive expressions, Mokou shook her head sadly. Keine unlocked the door and they went inside, with Mokou recounting the kidnapper's mysterious disappearance.

"Magic," Keine deduced after Mokou finished explaining. "I don't see any other explanations."

"Magic," Shika agreed.

"Couldn't there be a chance that you didn't notice him escaping, or, maybe, who knows, he got out of the window, and entered another house?" Nick suggested. "Maybe he was hiding in the house, under some furniture, or a secret hiding place. Or… I don't know, a secret passage?"

"I considered all those," Mokou dismissed. "Didn't I tell you? I would've noticed if the man escaped. And there were no place to hide inside the house. I don't think there's anything under the floorboards. His shoeprints led to the middle of the house and then it was gone, as if he vanished into thin air. Then there was the unearthly smell of sulphur. It screams of magic usage."

"No magic circles?" Keine asked, trying to understand better.

"No."

"I know that girl," Meriko muttered, making the other four look towards her. "Ruri Aokawa. She was an orphan living with her aunt. Her aunt brought her to see me yesterday, asking me to bless her. But, if she's really kidnapped…" Meriko let her sentence hang.

They understood why she had another reason to worry. If the child was kidnapped right on the day after the blessing, then the aunt would see Meriko not as someone who gave blessing, but a bringer of misfortune. Worse still, the news would spread, and the villagers' impression of her would rapidly turn to the worse.

"We have to see her quick," Keine told them.

"Eh, who?" Nick asked.

"Ruri's aunt!" Keine explained. "We'll check to see if Ruri's okay, and if she is not, then it's no use running away. We'll have to explain everything."

At this, Mokou threw a sideways glance at the teacher.

"Hiding something like this will only make us look guiltier," Keine told them. Meriko could only let her gaze fall onto the floor. It was really a bad day. "Let's go," Keine stood. "We're going right now."

And Mokou followed suit. She was not so hopeful, what with her having already skimmed through the village from the air. But then, she was not going to have another person die on her.

* * *

Yakumo Ran the kitsune was in a huge dilemma. Yukari had been apprehended in Hakugyokurou by none other than the Supreme Judge of Paradise herself, Shikieiki the Yama. The Yama was the one judging whether a person will be sent to Hell, Heaven, the Netherworld, or get reincarnated.

She paced to and fro in the void. That was the message that her master sent her. She still had not told Chen yet. The nekomata would probably be even more distraught than her if she knew.

For all the centuries she had served her mistress, she never experienced anything like it. For her Yukari was always undefeatable, or at least, indomitable. True, once in a while, the gap youkai would lose on purpose, not fighting to the best of her abilities, but for her to let herself to be put in such a perilous position was unheard of. Yukari particularly disliked the Yama.

And even the Yama's action was weird. She was the last person anyone would expect to cause an incident. One would rather suspect a normal human next door than suspect the Yama. Unlike her peers, Shikieiki was able to enter the world of the living and give advice and lectures, granting her the title of a nagging and lecturing Yama. She probably acted on compassion, but right now, with the Yama starting an incident like this, Ran was not sure what to expect anymore.

Her greatest fear would've been that the Yama would take Yukari down to judgment, as Yukari often spoke of outsmarting the Yama as if running away from death. If Yukari was gone, she couldn't imagine what would happen to her or Chen. She couldn't imagine what was going to happen to Gensokyo. It would probably be an unchecked world, with no one to truly understand the balance and take the appropriate actions to correct the balance if it ever went wrong. True, there were the usual incident solvers, like the shrine maidens, but they didn't understand Gensokyo like Yukari did.

Yakumo Ran the kitsune, as powerful as she was, with more than nine centuries of experience, was still far away from Yukari's level. Few youkai could challenge her in terms of power, but when it came to Yukari, the gap youkai was worlds apart in term of their power difference. Yukari was one of a kind.

She had to make a decision by herself. Firstly, when in doubt, she needed to trust her master more, so she tried to think of what her master's instruction meant.

_Shikieiki caught me in Hakugyokurou._

That was the only thing that Yukari mentioned to her. Her master never said that she was going to be taken away for judgment, or anything, so she could dismiss that possibility, even if it still made her insides tingle with worry. Yukari also didn't ask her to help release her or save her. Ran knew that her master realized that she, Yukari, was no match to the Yama, so what could Yakumo Ran, Yukari's lowly servant do? In fact the instruction was as calm and composed as if telling her that she was going to the Human Village for some ramen.

_Yukari will be back._

She tried to convince herself that. If Yukari was sure that she will be back, then that would mean that she had to continue with her errand of searching for the Black Princess. She rarely saw her master as eager as she was when she asked Ran to complete the search.

But then, the fact that her master told her of her location could also mean that she wanted to be saved. Ran never fought the Yama before, and she would not risk that. Her master would be extremely angry if she tried to fight on her own. She learnt that through experience. Yukari didn't see her as someone strong enough to pick a fight against a powerful human, let alone the Yama herself.

If she was to continue her search while Yukari wanted to be saved, but not by her, then that would mean she would have to ask the help of someone else.

_But not Reimu._

Ran noticed that her master tried to avoid the Hakurei shrine maiden these two days, since the three humans entered Gensokyo. Whatever her master was hiding from the shrine maiden, she couldn't hand her master's head on a platter by bringing Reimu herself to save her. She didn't trust the vampire's head maid, and she couldn't risk entering Hakugyokurou to ask help from the half-ghost, so that left her with only two persons. Marisa and Sanae.

But Sanae knew about Rika and the Black Princess, so she couldn't send Sanae to confront the Yama or she could've accidentally made the Yama know. Everyone knew how hard it was to hide the truth from the divine judge. So that left her with only Marisa.

But when she checked, peeking through the Void, Marisa was with Reimu at the Hakurei shrine. If she was to approach Marisa and tell her of the incident, Reimu would be sure to follow. She decided to continue her uncompleted search and would return every hour to check on the black-and-white magician.

Ran closed back the gap, sighing heavily. She had learnt how to create gaps through dimensions to travel across distances in a matter of seconds, but realized that doing so repetitively would tire her, unlike Yukari who could manage it effortlessly, the feat being as natural as breathing for her.

She decided to make sure that Chen wouldn't notice that Yukari was gone. She thought of an idea, to nonchalantly mention to the nekomata of the cats of Mayohiga. She's going to tell Chen that with the rain going to fall, the cats will surely need shelter, especially with the weather getting colder and colder. And Chen wouldn't be able to resist the urge to look after them. The nekomata adored cats. No, that was an understatement. She was _obsessed _with them.

Ran smiled wrily. _That would keep her busy for some time._

* * *

"She's… kidnapped?" the aunt bangs her fist on the table. Her face tightened in an expression of disbelief before she trembled and collapsed into tears, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry," Keine told her, her face solemn like a police officer telling a mother of her lost child. "We've tried our best, but we won't give up yet. We'll still continue looking for her."

Mokou and the three outsiders could only sit in silence with their heads bowed. Meriko noticed how Mokou looked awfully pale. The immortal had her fist clenched and her lips were moving soundlessly.

The aunt's house was a spartan affair, but livable. It was a single room dwelling, with sparsely any furniture except for a wardrobe and a low table round which they sat facing their host.

The dim atmosphere didn't help. The sun was now hidden behind clouds, and it looked as if it was going to rain anytime soon. The air was now as cold as it was in autumn. Everything looked a shade of morose blue.

"I… I trusted you! I trusted HER!" the aunt pointed at Meriko. The pudgy finger made Meriko's heart sink a few inches as if made of lead. She couldn't help but to shiver, especially with the cold wind rushing in through the house's open doors.

"Don't be silly, Junko-san," Keine dismissed sternly. "That girl you're pointing at was as guilty as you and I. We are all responsible here. We could've run away, couldn't we? But we decided to help. I already asked help from the Hieda household to help in the search. You know how I really care for this village's children."

"But why…Why couldn't you stop this from happening…" the aunt whimpered into her palms.

"We tried to, didn't we?" Keine answered. "And that makes all the difference."

That was when an almighty crash of thunder split the heavens, sending a blinding flash of light. It was merely a few seconds before the rain started descending, just like the saying went: _It never rained, but it poured._ Water rushed down from the heavens in a downpour, pouring down the eaves of the roofs through the gutters like waterfall.

"I'm sorry," Meriko couldn't help herself from saying, as a drop of rain seeped through the roof onto her knee. "I'm sorry for everything."

"Please… bring her back," the aunt said with a hopeful glassy stare.

"We can't promise anything, but we'll do our best," Keine stood. "Pray for Ruri's safety," she told the lady.

* * *

They arrived back home all drenched and soggy. It was terribly cold, like in autumn, and the downpour made it a hundred times worse. They quickly changed into dry sets of clothes, hoping that the rain would stop soon.

Meriko found herself shivering uncontrollably from the cold. "Shika, I… I don't feel so good." Her servant passed her the futon, and she curled underneath.

Keine knocked on their room's door. After telling her to come in, the teacher slid it open, telling them with a grim expression, "The men had to stop their search. The weather was too much for them to continue. We could only hope for the rain to stop for now. If it goes on any further, the river will rise and this village will be flooded."

Meriko coughed underneath the blanket. Keine swooped down and put a hand on the girl's forehead.

"She caught a cold," Shika told her.

Keine looked at her quizzically. "Yes," she said after a moment's silence. "Not surprising, seeing how the weather has gone mad."

Meriko was silently staring at the ceiling.

"Come along now," Keine told Meriko. "Mokou just lit the charcoal in the grate under the kotatsu."

* * *

_[Background music: 東方 __[Piano] Higan Retour ~ Riverside View, looped; repeated over and over again.]_

The rain had stopped. The girl with pink hair tied in twintails trudged up the wet slippery steps to Moriya Shrine. She was carrying her signature scythe on her shoulder, the wispy-bladed weapon a clear warning to all that she was a shinigami. Despite the scary myths surrounding the Oriental counterpart of the Western Grim Reaper, she appeared like any normal human girl, and was even dressed in frilly doll-like clothes. Her dress was white, with a blue vest over it.

It was night on Youkai Mountain. But strangely, the cicadas were being silent. The Moon and the stars were not visible, hidden behind clouds. The wind howled menacingly, carrying a chill not befitting a summer's night. The shrine was lit by lanterns hung underneath the ceiling, and as she carried herself up the shrine steps, Sanae stood in front of the gateway entrance underneath the torii.

"Greetings," she told the advancing shinigami, "What business do you have here?"

"Kochiya Sanae, nice to meet you," the shinigami greeted her in a friendly manner. "Onozuka Komachi, shinigami from the Sanzu river. Are Kanako and Suwako home?"

"Yes," Sanae replied, wondering how the shinigami knew her name. But then, she was a shinigami.

"I have a message from my master, the Yama herself," Komachi told her. "Is that okay?"

"You're not here to take a life, right?" Sanae asked unsurely.

"Fortunately not today," Komachi shrugged dismissively, grinning.

"I'll tell them," Sanae told her. "Come in."

"No, it's just a letter," Komachi held out an envelope.

"Oh, thanks, you must've been tired to get all the way up here," Sanae said invitingly. "Would you care for a drink?"

"Ye-no," Komachi changed her mind. "Eiki-sama's going to scold me again if she finds out I'm late to return. I've never seen her being this tense for years."

"Oh, okay then," but in a blink of an eye, the shinigami was already gone.

Sanae was glad to be back inside. The wind was fierce, especially being so high on the mountain.

"It's probably going to snow," Kanako told her as Sanae made her way into the dining room. "Who was it?"

"A shinigami," Sanae passed the letter to Kanako. "She's sent by the Yama to convey this message."

"Ah, I see, the Yama wants to start an overnight winter," Kanako exclaimed after a few moments of silence reading the letter. "That would explain the unnatural clouds, not to mention the cold draft. I'm glad it's just overnight. What else can we do then? It's not like we can stop her. And, I think Suwako needs to know. She's goddess of the earth after all. She needs to know that the Yama's doing this to provide water, which the earth has been losing this summer. Hopefully after this the farmers would be happier."

"So, I don't have to investigate anymore?" Sanae asked.

"You still have to," Kanako replied. "We still don't know the perpetrator behind the nightmares, and the master of the evil spirit that possessed the outsider."

Sanae sighed. "Yes, Kanako-sama."

"Kanako, Kanako, Kanako!" Suwako came running into the room. "It's snowing outside! Right in the middle of summer!"

Seeing her all exasperated, both of them chuckled. But Shikieiki the Yama didn't tell them that she was making the overnight winter at the expense of imprisoning Yukari in the Netherworld.

* * *

Komachi grinned as she passed the letters to the two goddesses in front of her. For her, it was hard work trying to track them, what with the way they wandered from place to place all the time. But at least, she guessed right. The two goddesses were near the roadside shrine on the way up to Youkai Mountain.

Aki Minoriko, the goddess of good harvest threw her a quizzical look after reading the letter. The barefooted goddess in red and yellow dress passed the letter to her sister.

It was already starting to snow, a thin layer of white covering the undergrowth. They were under the cover of trees as snow continued to fall lightly on the leaves above. It was dark at night, and Komachi held a ball of danmaku to light the area enough for the two to read the letter.

Unlike her sister, Aki Shizuha had a leaf-shaped headband on her head instead of a hat, and she wore a pair of white socks and black shoes. Her dress was a much more fiery shade of red, like leaves in the autumn, with the hem in leaf-shaped cutouts around. She was the goddess of autumn leaves, and in summer, when she was not needed, she would wander away from humans. "Ha! I knew it! I knew that I didn't miss autumn, Minoriko!" she told her younger sister.

"Glad that cheered you up," Minoriko replied with a shrug. Her sister was exasperated when she realized that snow was falling all around, so much that they decided to take a night's walk to search for the cause.

"So, what did it say?" Komachi asked.

"Uh, we're not allowed to tell you," Minoriko answered. Komachi drooped in disappointment. She knew that her master won't let her know the contents of the letter she was supposed to send. "But I don't see any harm telling you that Eiki makes the overnight winter happen to provide water for Gensokyo and cool this world a bit for a few days. This summer has been harsh, and the farmers are already complaining. I hope this'll make this year's harvest better."

Komachi nodded thoughtfully. She was still wondering what her master had in mind. There was probably more than that, she thought, remembering her battle against Youmu, and how her master was still imprisoning the ghosts and the gap youkai in the Netherworld.

But then, Komachi sighed. It was now time to go back to the hot Netherworld. _How could she stand all those heat? _she thought, referring to her master. She didn't notice a pair of eyes following her as she made her way back to the main road.

* * *

"Halt," the girl with an arm covered in bandages blocked Komachi's way forward.

"Hey, how've ya been?" Komachi greeted in a familiar manner. "Looking for death already? You're already bored with life?" she playfully swung her scythe as if going to really take the life of the person in front of her. "People don't usually track a shinigami, that's putting the cart before the horse."

"Nah," Kasen Ibaraki shrugged, not even flinching. Like Komachi, the hermit had pink hair, but it was shoulder-length, with Chinese-style double buns. Over her white shirt and green skirt hung a brown front panel with a rose-shaped ornament on the chest.

The two were on the main road, and in the dark, seeing Komachi's grinning face, Kasen suddenly realized that the shinigami wanted her to find her. If she wanted to lose her, she would've disappeared already. Komachi once told her that shinigami needed no roads.

"As cold as always,' Komachi teased. "Is it the weather?"

"Exactly. Care to explain?"

"Ah, Eiki's probably being playful," Komachi crossed her arms wearing a carefree expression, hugging her scythe's handle.

"The Yama? Playful?" Kasen widened her eyes, appearing clueless for a few moments. But then she snapped out of the wide-eyed state, and said suspiciously, "That'll be the end of the world for sure."

"What appears to be odd may not be so if one is just able to understand the workings of the minds behind it. You probably heard me talking with the goddesses, so I can't tell you more than what you heard. I don't know any more than what I said."

Kasen nodded thoughtfully. Of course Komachi would've guessed that she eavesdropped. Asking Komachi about the winter gave that away, not to mention trying to track her down.

"Well, Eiki-sama's waiting," Komachi ended their conversation with a tired sigh, and was gone.

* * *

"So it's the Yama's doing?" Yuuka the flower youkai smiled pleasantly at the fairy she pinned against the tree. "Is she in Gensokyo right now?" Her other hand was resting her open parasol on her shoulder.

"I, I don't know!" the ice fairy in blue replied in a high-pitched voice. The youkai's strength scared her out of her wits. Yuuka was lifting her against the tree as if the fairy was weightless. "But I heard it from the girl with the scythe!"

_The bottleneck shinigami, _Yuuka thought. She put down the fairy and patted her head, "Just teasing. It's a daily thing," but the fairy was already zooming to the air in fear. Yuuka chuckled to herself.

The crunch of snow under her feet made her feel uneasy. The flowers were not going to like this sudden change in weather. The undergrowth was already filled with frozen plants while she could feel the shock in the trees. _Plants have feelings too, _she thought. _Why would someone like the Yama overlook that? Divine logic is often unpleasant._

But then, Yuuka gave a wide yawn. "Dammit," she tried to stifle another. "This kind of weather always makes me sleepy. I need to find a place to rest. I hope the sunflowers will be fine. No, the sunflowers…" Her determination kept her marching forward. But she didn't feel like flying in this weather.

But after a few hours braving the snow, she couldn't help it anymore. Noticing a house in the middle of the forest, she was glad that the door was unlocked and she went in. The wind howled, making her entrance noiseless.

She was not pleased at the disorderly state the house was in. Trinkets and piles of junk were everywhere. "Who the heck lives in a place like this? No aesthetics! If I'm going to live here, Elly needs to give this house a major makeover."

She didn't notice that, ironically, just as she entered, Marisa flew out on her broom from the back door, sporting a new hat.

* * *

Meriko woke up with a sneeze. She grabbed the rag by her side and blew her nose. She saw Shika sitting by her side, writing something on a parchment, the room lit by a lantern hung on the ceiling. "Shika?" she asked groggily. "Where's everyone else?"

"Keine is outside, Mokou already went back to her house after the rain stopped, and Nick, I had to tell him off and send him to his room," Shika replied. "Are you feeling better?"

"My head feels heavy," Meriko said. "And I'm still shivering all over." She was underneath the blanket under the kotatsu, and yet, even with the heat from below, she was still shivering uncontrollably. "Why did you tell Nick off?"

"He just sat there, saying nothing, staring at you. I mean, it was creepy, so I chased him away," Shika explained.

"Thanks," Meriko said in response, blushing slightly upon realizing that a boy had been staring at her while she was asleep. "Despite his grades and all, he's silly most of the time."

"Yep, boys," Shika dismissed with a shrug, continuing her writing on the parchment.

"Nope, I meant Nick," Meriko continued. "Most other boys aren't like him. He's just too… I don't know, awkward?"

Shika shrugged again.

"Did they find Ruri? The girl?" Meriko asked.

"No," Shika answered with a sigh. "They restarted the search after the rain stopped. No luck so far, I'm afraid."

"I… I don't know how to explain this, Shika, but… you know, when I hugged Kotohime, consoling her, and when I apologized to Ruri's aunt, I felt… empty. I felt nothing. Or rather, half of me was. I may be sympathizing with them, or acting that way, but even when a part of me was truly sorry, the other part was not. It was empty. Worse, it was laughing. I know it's not the spirit anymore, it's just me. I… am empty inside. I feel guilty. Kotohime probably knew that. That's why she won't forgive me. She saw it in my eyes. That cold, inner void, laughing scathingly at human emotions."

Shika remained silent as Meriko divulged her guilty conscience. Silence hung in the air. The soft golden light of the lantern made everything appeared solemn.

"It doesn't matter if you have the wrong feelings, what matters is that you do the right things," Shika replied earnestly, staring into Meriko's eyes. After staring unblinkingly for a few seconds, she broke eye contact and said, "You sound different, Meriko."

Meriko stared at the ceiling thoughtfully, lost in thoughts. "Well, bipolarity is called manic-depressive disorder. I'm probably in the depressive phase."

Shika gave a wry smile in response.

"What are you writing?" Meriko asked.

"Just recounting the events that happened since we entered this crazy world."

"Thanks," Meriko continued the conversation. "I'll check and add whatever that's relevant when I feel better. I'm still feeing cold all over. In fact, it feels colder now. The rain has stopped, right?"

"Yes…" Shika grinned, "but it's snowing."

* * *

The Black Princess flashed a small derisive smile. _So it's snowing in the middle of summer. This already strange world is going in a weird direction. _She turned to her servant. "Is it ready yet?" she drawled with a bored expression.

At her servant's silent nod, she heaved a deep sigh of relief.

_At last. The biggest bet that I shall ever do my entire life. I'll do something that even Yukari couldn't. I'll bet all my cards for this move._

"Time to shoot the Moon," she told her servant.

* * *

_Please tell me how I'm doing with this chapter, what with my unusually tight schedule and all. I found that it's being more thoughtful than even the last one, although that doesn't necessarily mean an improvement in quality._

_Cheers. See you after a week. Kyuu~! Wait, what the, Flan!_

_Teaser: The Yama at the ramen shop._


End file.
